Fate's Hand At Play
by mama4dukes
Summary: It's wonderful that Seth Clearwater has finally found his imprint. Now, he just has to convince her to stay put in La Push long enough so he can tell her. Fortunately, he has help from a most unlikely source.
1. Chapter 1

**I was issued a challenge by the very enigmatic Sparkling Fae to write a short fic with the pairing of Seth/Bella. And, oh, what a challenge it was for me. Seth is a tough one to write because I kept thinking of him as a kid brother. So, without further ado, I present to you, Fate's Hand At Play.**

**This story is AU/OOC.**

**All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Mature readers 18+ only please.**

After a rough flight in from Boston, the jet finally descended upon Sea-Tac International Airport. Seth Clearwater was finally on his last leg home for his yearly Christmas pilgrimage to his mother's home in La Push. He used to come more often, but once he started medical school, he simply didn't have enough time to visit more often. At twenty-seven, he was still a young doctor, fresh out of residency. In May, he finally became a full fledged physician and he was hired as an associate at a small family practice in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The tribal elders of the Quileute Tribe were none to pleased about Seth's decision to practice medicine in Massachusetts. They urged him to return stating that he was doing his tribe a disservice. He was second in line to become a tribal elder after his sister and, as such, he should remain in La Push. Seth had told them all where they could shove their tribal elder position. He always had big dreams and aspirations and he refused to be bullied by the elders.

After that, they tried to get the pack involved, but the alpha, Jacob Black refused, stating that tribal government business and pack business had nothing to do with each other. Unlike the previous alpha, Sam Uley, Jacob ran the pack instead of letting the tribal elders run it. He was tired of the elders trying to run the lives of the pack members, he had seen too many ruined lives as a result of elder interference.

Seth's sister, Leah, became angry and confused as a direct result of Sam imprinting on their cousin Emily. She and Sam had been engaged to be married until the imprint happened and Sam dropped her like a ton of bricks with no explanation because the elders prohibited him from explaining it to her even though, as a gene carrier, she would have eventually been told the truth about the wolves. Leah ended up phasing herself. She and Jacob eventually imprinted on each other and they were as happy as clams now, but, prior to that, it had been torture for Leah.

Jacob, too, had been affected directly by Sam being blindly led by the elders. He lost his very best friend in the world, Bella Swan. After he phased, he was not allowed to see her or talk to her which resulted in Bella leaving the area for good. Jacob wanted to get back in touch with her and his sister wanted to meet her, but year after year, Bella wouldn't return to the area. When her father, Charlie Swan, married Seth and Leah's mother, Sue, Bella sent a card and a wedding gift. She refused to set foot in La Push, Washington again. Seth, Leah, nor Sue had ever met Bella Swan. Though Charlie spoke to her on the phone twice a month, she never really offered up any information about her personal life, he didn't even know what she did for a living or where she lived even.

Seth collected his luggage and made his way to the car rental counter where the line was outrageous. Every customer in line seemed to be in a foul mood. The snow was pelting down outside due to a freak blizzard and the car rental company didn't have enough vehicles to give out because customers had been unable or unwilling to return the vehicles on time due to cancelled or delayed flights and poor driving conditions. Seth, having experienced this in the past, had purchased a gold membership in which his car would be guaranteed and he wouldn't have to wait in line.

He zipped to a separate counter for gold membership customers and gave them his information. To his left, he heard a very pretty, woman with a temper that didn't match her jaw-dropping looks handing the agent his ass.

"_So, what you're saying is that you don't have the vehicle that I rented two months ago on hand? How the hell am I supposed to get anywhere then?"_

"_Ma'am, there's nothing we can do. The customer who has your vehicle has been unable to return it to us due to the weather. We'll have it tomorrow for sure and we'll compensate your inconvenience with one free day of rental."_

"_I want to talk to your manager."_

"_Ma'am, there's no need..."_

"_Get me your manager now! Are you deaf? I asked to speak to your manager, I'm through discussing this with you."_

Just as the manager came out, Seth's agent said, "Dr. Clearwater, your Chevy Malibu will be pulled up front for you within five minutes. If you would just sign here please."

"_Now wait a god-damned minute!"_ the pretty, angry woman growled. "_I requested a Chevy Malibu, your agent told me that there were none available, yet you just gave this man here a Chevy Malibu. That vehicle is mine, not his."_

Seth didn't want to get involved so he scurried outside and listened in on the conversation using his amplified wolf hearing.

"_Ma'am, he's a gold club member which provides premier service and guarantees a vehicle at all times."_

"_So, you're saying that you'll provide inferior quality customer service to the rest of us schmucks, but because he paid for a gold membership, you'll give him premier service?"_

"_I...I..."_ the manager stuttered.

"_That's fine. Your agent here tells me that he's willing to provide me with one free day of car rental as compensation. Personally, I don't think it's enough. You see, I have to drive four hours to get to my destination. This car is an absolute necessity for me. What I would like is for you to provide a hotel room and all meals for me until you are able to get a vehicle for me. After that, you are going to provide the vehicle for me free of charge for the entire week due to the massive inconvenience that you've just caused."_

"_Ma'am, that's hardly reasonable. We can't possibly..."_

"_You can't possibly what? You have caused inconvenience to, not only me, but the twenty customers standing in line behind me. Now, unless you're going to produce a vehicle for me now, you will do as I request."_

"_Ma'am it's impossible, it's..."_

The woman put her phone to her ear. _ "Did you hear that? Yes, okay, I'll put the manager on, one moment please."_ She turned to the manager with a smug smile. _"I happen to have your corporate offices on the line right now. The vice president of operations would like to speak with you."_

Seth's car was delivered to him just as the frightened manager took the phone from the woman. He would have liked to hear the outcome of the conversation, but he had a long drive to La Push, Washington ahead of him.

With the snowstorm, it took Seth over six hours to drive the normally three and a half hour route home. By the time he arrived, it was two in the morning and everyone was sleeping. He set his luggage down in his room and nodded off to sleep. With the difference in time zone, it was actually five am for him, well past his bedtime. He'd normally be waking up for work in an hour's time.

Seth woke up around ten am to the smell of bacon frying in the pan. "Hey, Mom, good morning," he greeted.

"Seth! I'm so glad you're home. How was the drive in from Seattle? Was it bad?"

"Atrocious. It took me over six hours."

"How are you, son?" Charlie asked, pulling him in for a hug.

"Great. Don't you have work today, Dad?"

"Nope, I took the week off. I finally convinced Bella to spend Christmas with us."

"Wow, that's great. Is she here?"

"Not yet, she had a problem getting a rental car so she was forced to stay overnight in Seattle. She'll be here sometime today, though. She'll be staying in Leah's old room."

"I'm not surprised. When I rented my car, they were having massive issues providing vehicles for everyone who rented one. I have a gold membership so my car was guaranteed, but the woman standing next to me was irate because they didn't have a car for her."

"Well, she sounded pissed off last night. I'll tell you that much."

Seth was pleased that Bella was finally coming to see Charlie. He knew that his step-father missed her. He hadn't seen her for thirteen years. Seth wanted Charlie to be happy. He had done more for him than even his own father did. Charlie was the one who came to every hockey game he was in, he was the one that dug out his old hockey gear and passed Seth puck after puck until he hit the goal each and every time, he taught him how to drive, he taught him how to fish, and he was able to go to him for advice whenever he had girl or pack problems. Charlie knew about the pack because when Seth and Leah first phased, Charlie was right there when it happened. It was also the day that Seth and Leah's own father, Harry, passed away.

Around five in the early evening, the pack started stopping by with their imprints and their kids to say hello to Seth and hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Bella Swan. An hour later, the girl of the hour knocked on the door. Charlie barreled to the door to answer it and pulled his daughter into his arms.

"I'm sorry that you had problems with the rental car company yesterday, kiddo," he said.

"Oh, I know. It was unbelievable. They had twenty customers in line behind me in a similar situation, not to mention the twelve ahead of me. To top it off, some turd brain with a gold membership was given his car right away without even having to wait in line. Ugh! I can't stand elitist pigs."

"Well, it's good to have you safe at home. Let me introduce you to everyone. Seth was the last one to be introduced because he was in the kitchen grabbing a soda.

"And this is Sue's son, Seth, who I've told you about," Charlie said.

Seth's world stopped the moment he looked into Bella Swan's eyes. The earth shattered around him, he swore that angels in heaven were singing, and he was completely mesmerized. His world began and ended with the girl in front of him. He glanced around and noticed that the entire pack was aware that he had just imprinted.

"Hi, I'm..."

"You're the fucker that stole my car yesterday!" she roared.

Well, that wasn't exactly a good start to forever with his imprint.

"I...I...I didn't mean to. It wasn't my fault!" Seth blurted in desperation.

"I know that. I'm just kind of perturbed that you just waltzed in there, got your car, and left while the rest of us had to stand in line only to be told that there were no vehicles available."

"So, what ended up happening?"

"Oh, well, the rental car agency paid for my hotel, dinner last night, and breakfast this morning. I have my rental car free for the week plus they gave me a free lifetime membership to their gold club."

"Wow, how did you manage that? Are you a lawyer or something?" Leah asked.

"No, I'm an emergency room physician."

"_Well, that explains her short temper,"_ Seth thought.

"Wait a minute! When did you go to medical school?" Charlie asked.

"Right after college."

"Well, how come you didn't tell me? I could have helped you pay for it. I didn't even know that you went to college."

"It slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind! Bella, I don't even know where you live!"

"Manhattan, New York."

"You live in a big, dangerous city by yourself?"

"Well, I used to live with my boyfriend until I threw him out of my place. I have no patience for narcissistic lawyers."

"Bella, why all the secrets? Why couldn't you even give me an inkling as to what's been going on with your life?" Charlie asked, clearly losing hold on the temper that he generally had full control of.

"There were issues that I needed to deal with away from here, Charlie. They were complex and they needed to be handled in a special manner."

"Thirteen years, Bella! Thirteen! I don't care how bad your problems were, you don't go and abandon your family for thirteen years! I was worried about you!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to leave. It was more for your safety than anything."

"Is this about that fucking Cullen vampire that you dated? Did he threaten you or me?"

Bella's jaw dropped. "How did you know that he was a vampire?" she gulped.

It was so silent in the living room that you could hear a pin drop. No one was saying a word. Sue Clearwater broke the silence. "I think it's time we told her about the pack. She needs to know. She is a part of the pack now."

Bella was in complete shock. How did her father know that the Cullens were vampires? Looking around the room, she realized that everyone here knew about vampires. She took a look at Jacob Black's guilty face and realized that he had been hiding something from her. They all were and she didn't want to hear it. She was free of evil vampires and she wanted nothing to do with them ever again.

"I...I need to get some fresh air," Bella said. She grabbed her coat and her keys, hopped into her rental car and drove off, thanking God that she had left her suitcase in the car. She had no intention of ever returning to La Push.

Bella didn't feel like driving to Seattle so, after a quick bite to eat at the diner in Forks, she drove to Port Angeles and checked into a hotel there. She filled the tub and hopped inside. She needed to unwind and think about what she'd heard. Her cell phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Alice, one of four vampires that she still kept in touch with.

_**From: A Brandon**_

_**To: B Swan**_

_**You can't run away from your problems, Bella. You need to face them head on. I promise you that this visit is necessary and will only bring you happiness. If you don't stay, you'll be alone forever.**_

"Well, what if I don't want to be happy?" Bella said out loud to no one in particular.

A second text message from Alice came through.

_**From: A Brandon**_

_**To: B Swan**_

_**Don't give me that shit! Now tomorrow morning you're going to march your ass back to your father's place and hear him out. Then, you're going to tell him why you left, the real reason. If you don't, I'm going to show up and put you through a three day makeover and Bella Barbie session! And trust me, you need one!**_

Bella typed out a text message to Alice.

_**From: B Swan**_

_**To: A Brandon**_

_**Fine!**_

She stuck her tongue out at her cell phone for good measure. Immature, yes, but it made her feel better.

Bella, to this day, never doubted Alice Brandon. Alice had done more for her than even her parents did. After Jacob unceremoniously dumped her as a friend, Alice had shown up with Jasper to comfort her. She also came with a warning, Victoria was after Bella and if she didn't leave Forks straight away, the vengeful redhead would take out her friends and family one by one starting with her father and Jacob. Bella packed her bags, scrawled a note to Charlie, and left with Alice and Jasper that day. She told Charlie that she was too depressed to stay, that she was eighteen years old, and she was old enough to venture out on her own. She also told him that she'd call him twice a month so he'd know that she was okay. And she kept that promise. She always called him from a prepaid cell phone that she used once only and couldn't be traced. She knew that her father would use every resource available in law enforcement to look for her. After leaving Forks, Bella's emotional healing began in earnest.

Bella got out of the tub and threw her pajamas on. She turned the TV on and decided to veg out. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, her father, Sue Clearwater, Billy Black, a woman she didn't know, Jacob Black, Leah Clearwater, and Seth Clearwater were standing in the hallway. She sighed and let them inside.

"We need to talk," Jacob said.

"Truly, I have nothing to say to you," Bella replied.

"Well, we have something to tell you and you're going to listen."

"Listen shithead! You don't get to order me around! I make my own decisions!"

"When the hell did you develop such a dirty mouth?" Charlie asked, appalled. "Jesus Christ! I don't know who's worse, you or Leah."

"Erm, well...sorry...I'll try and tone it down, but it doesn't change the fact that I have nothing to say to Jacob Black."

"Fine, Bella. Then you'll talk to me and then you'll tell me what you've been up to for the last thirteen years that required you to live in virtual hiding," Billy Black said.

"Who's the lady with you?"

"This is my wife, Joy. She's Quil's mother. Do you remember him?"

"Goofball with the hot ass."

"That's an interesting way of remembering him."

"Well, he does have a hot ass. So talk." Billy was a bit stunned at how abrasive the once mild mannered daughter of Chief Swan had gotten.

Billy Black proceeded to tell Bella of the Quileute legends. He explained to her about the Cold Ones and the gene that transformed some of the boys into wolves. He told her about the treaty that they had with the Cullens and how they were free to come and go from Forks because they didn't feed on humans.

"So, what you're saying is that Jacob sent me away because he wasn't allowed to divulge the secret of the wolves to me?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I just don't understand why he wasn't allowed to be my friend."

"He couldn't because he had an order that he had to follow from the man that was alpha preceding him, Sam Uley. It was for your safety, he was still a new wolf. He could have phased in front of you and injured you."

"What a prick! Who the hell made him judge and jury?"

"Believe me, it truly was for your own safety, Bella. Sam had an accident that injured his wife permanently. I don't know if you noticed the scars on Emily's face when you met her earlier today."

"Oh my God, those were caused by a wolf attack, weren't they?"

"Yes."

Bella felt bad for jumping to conclusions about Sam Uley. He really was thinking about her safety when he had Jacob send Bella away.

"Now, I think it's time you tell us your story," Billy prompted.

"I will, but you need to keep an open mind. If not, I'll stop talking and I'll leave."

"You have my word."

"I left to keep everyone safe. There was a vengeful redheaded vampire named Victoria after me that was hellbent on draining me because she blamed me for the death of her mate, James. I don't want to delve into specifics, but during my junior year of high school when I ran away to Phoenix, I was actually running from James, who was a tracker, and was after my blood. Apparently, my blood is very fragrant."

"It is," Jacob, Leah, and Seth all said.

"Anyway, two of the Cullens killed him in Phoenix, but they forgot the fact that Victoria was still around. You see, most of the Cullens didn't consider Victoria a factor because Fuckward...sorry Edward, who is a mindreader didn't see her as a threat. The majority of the Cullens worship the golden boy because he can read minds."

Bella took a deep breath before continuing. "On my eighteenth birthday, one thing led to another causing Edward to break up with me. I was devastated because of the way he broke up with me and because I was abandoned by people I had come to know as family. Jacob helped me get over the break up then he pulled his own brand of fuckery on me, even if it wasn't his fault. That day, when I returned to my room, Alice and Jasper, were waiting for me. They told me that Victoria was after me and that if I stayed any longer, she would take out my friends and family one by one beginning with my father and Jacob. There was no way in hell that I was going to let that happen. I cared about both of them too much. My life was already fucked up so I decided that if anyone was going to put themselves in her path it would be me. Besides, Alice is psychic, she can see the future, so I trusted her visions implicitly. That's why I left, I left to keep everyone safe."

"God, Bella, what you must have gone through," Charlie gasped with tears in his eyes. "I wish you would have come to me."

"I couldn't. I really couldn't. Victoria was insane and Alice's visions showed that she would have desecrated all of Forks and La Push if I didn't leave."

"So, what did you end up doing after you left?"

"Well, Alice and Jasper kept me safe. I should probably interject here and tell you that the other Cullens had no interest in keeping me safe because they promised Edward that they would stay away from me so that I can remain human and forget about vampires. Alice and Jasper actually cut all ties with the rest of the Cullens so that they could keep me alive," Bella explained. "So, we left Forks and went to Texas where Jasper's friends, Peter and Charlotte, live. Just so you know, they're human feeding vampires. They only feed off of criminals: murderers, rapists, and the like and they're cool as beans. Peter has a special gift, he knows sh..stuff so between him and Alice, they were able to stay ahead of Victoria. Anyway, I finished high school in Texas with Alice and Charlotte and graduated from there under an assumed name. Of course, it was too late for me to apply to colleges so I attended the University of Texas as a non-matriculated student and eventually became a matriculated student by the following semester. Alice and Charlotte attended college with me to keep me safe. They were pissed off when I decided to major in pre-med, but they suffered through for my sake. After four years, I was accepted to West Virginia University for medical school along with Alice and Charlotte. I graduated with honors and began my residency program at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. It was the only place where all three of us were accepted and where the weather was crappy enough for Charlotte and Alice to go undetected by humans."

"Wait a minute. You did your residency at a Native American hospital along with two leeches?" Sue asked.

"First of all, Alice and Charlotte are vampires, not leeches. They went out of their way to ensure my safety and the safety of the people of Forks and La Push so you will speak of them with respect. I won't stand for anything less." Bella didn't put up with any form of prejudice when it came to her friends. "Second of all, yes. I was employed at a hospital that served American Indians."

"This is hilarious, Seth. You did your residency at some fancy city hospital in Chicago while Bella here served our people."

"You're a physician?" Bella asked Seth.

"Yes, I'm a family practitioner."

"Interesting. Let me get on with my story. During the third year of my residency program, Victoria finally caught up with me. She kidnapped me while Peter and Charlotte were out hunting and Jasper and Alice were...well they were fucking."

"Victoria is the redheaded leech, right?" Leah asked.

"Right."

"Just so you know, she was lurking in and around Forks and La Push for about three months after you left the area. Then, she never returned."

"She probably realized that I wasn't there and went looking for me. Anyway, Victoria snatched me and I was taken to an abandoned warehouse where she went through her entire history with her deceased mate, James. I knew that my friends were coming so I kept her talking. I sympathized with her, I told her that I understood her need for vengeance, but that her vengeance was misplaced. I told her about how Edward abandoned me in the woods after bringing me into the vampire world and told me that he never loved me, that I was worthless. We cried together, then Victoria thanked me and wished me luck. She built a pyre for herself, stepped into it, and that was the end of her. By the time, Jasper, Alice, Peter, and Charlotte found me, Victoria had turned into ash. And that's my story."

The room was dead silent. No one knew what to say. Billy Black, for one, was utterly confused. On the one hand, he was angry at the vampires, but on the other, he was grateful to them for keeping her safe. He understood why Bella had to run. She ran to keep Charlie and Jacob safe. For that, he was eternally grateful. She didn't run for selfish reasons at all. One thing was for sure though, the treaty with the Cullens would be voided and a new treaty would be formed with the four vampires that went out of their way to keep Bella safe.

"Excuse me," Seth said. "What happened after Victoria committed suicide?"

"Oh, well, I finished off my residency program and was hired at a hospital in Manhattan, New York. Alice saw that we'd all be going our separate ways. Alice and Jasper live in Paris now and Charlotte and Peter live in Worcester, Massachusetts. Charlotte ended up loving the field of medicine so she's an emergency department physician at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. We still keep in touch though."

"Why didn't they turn you into a vampire?"

"Well, I didn't want to become a vampire, plus Alice didn't see me as one. She told me that I had my own path in life to follow."

"Why didn't you come and see me after moving to New York?" Charlie asked.

"I wasn't ready. It had been over ten years and I had no idea what I would say to you or how I would explain myself to you if I saw you in person."

"I can understand that. So, are you seeing anyone in New York?"

"Um, not anymore. As I mentioned earlier, I used to have a boyfriend, but I got sick of his elitist ways. He was too concerned about becoming a partner in his law firm and he wanted me to become his perfect Stepford wife. So, I threw him out of my penthouse."

"You own a penthouse in Manhattan?" Seth asked, stunned.

"Um, yeah, part of my graduation gift package."

"A penthouse in Manhattan? Those are several million dollars."

Bella tried to shrug it off. She didn't feel like explaining that her overprotective vampire brothers, Jasper and Peter, had set her up with an overly healthy bank account and a multi-million dollar penthouse in Manhattan with parking.

"Um, how often are you in touch with your vampire friends, Bella?"

"Oh, I talk to them a couple of times a week. Alice was the one that told me that it was time for me to visit my father this Christmas."

"Did she say anything else?" Charlie asked.

"She told me to tell you, 'hi.' Okay, so did I answer all of your questions?"

"Yes."

"Good, well, I don't mean to be rude, but I kind of want to get some sleep."

"You aren't leaving the area, are you?"

"No, I just need some time to chill out alone. I'll stop in to visit tomorrow."

"Bella, you're welcome to stay with us," Sue said. "We have a room all prepped for you."

"Um, let me think about it."

"That's fine. We'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, I'll be by in the afternoon."

The group left Bella alone in her hotel room. Seth had to force himself to leave, but he understood that she was most likely feeling overwhelmed.

As soon as they left, Bella put a call in to Alice.

"_What is it, Bella?"_

"Don't 'what is it' me, Alice. What the hell is this business about the Quileutes being wolves? Did you know about this?"

"_Actually, I did. I can't see too clearly with them, but I get snips of visions here and there."_

"Why did you send me to my father's house? I want the truth now."

Alice sighed, _"I can't tell you. I don't want to fuck up your future. What I can tell you is that you need to go back to your father's house and stay there. It's imperative."_

"Fine, I will, but I really don't have much in common with anyone there."

"_Bella, you don't know them."_

"Alice, I'm happy with my life. Ever since I threw Quentin out of my apartment, I feel like I can breathe."

"_Technically, you didn't throw Quentin out. Jasper threw him out."_

"True, did he tell you that Quentin peed his pants on his way out?"

"_No, but I saw it. He also peed his pants again in his Volvo. You know, Bella, I don't think that you should date anymore men that drive Volvos. If anyone asks you out, make sure you find out what kind of vehicle they drive."_

"I think you're right there. Any other news?"

"_I saw in a vision that Edward has finally found his mate."_

"Oh, yeah, who is she?"

"_HE is a nomad from England named Alistair."_

"You owe me and Pete a million bucks each, Alice. We told you he was gay."

"_Oh, damn. I forgot about that bet."_

"I'm just kidding, you don't need to send me a million dollars. I have more than enough money to last me a lifetime because of Jasper and Peter."

"_They just worry about you, Bella. They want to make sure that you don't end up in the poorhouse."_

"Alice, I'm a doctor. I'm not ever going to end up in the poorhouse. What's Jasper doing right now anyway?"

"_He's watching a stupid documentary on the Civil War right now."_

"Can you see Pete and Char?"

"_Yep, Char is at work. She's treating a teenager with appendicitis. And Peter is...oh my..."_

"Oh my, what?"

"_Peter is masturbating to a copy of Big and Bouncy."_

"Okay, too much info, Alice."

"_Well, you did ask. Ooh! He just came. I don't think he'll be able to use that copy of Big and Bouncy anymore."_

"I'm going to bed, Alice. I love you."

"_I love you, too, Bella," _she chuckled.

**I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one. I hope I did Dr. Clearwater and Dr. Swan justice. XOXO mama4dukes**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so tickled by the response this story has gotten. Dr. Clearwater is truly pleased.**

**Thank you to SparklingFae for issuing the challenge!**

**This story is AU/OOC/OTT**

**All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Mature readers 18+ only please.**

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The next morning, Seth was up bright and early excited for Bella's arrival and praying to Taha Aki that she was going to stay over at his house for the duration of her stay. Her story was so intriguing and he wanted to get to know her. Seth, himself, had never been in the presence of a vampire. By the time he had phased, the Cullens were gone and they only had to contend with the redheaded vampire who disappeared from the area less than a month after he phased. He was considered too young to chase after her so his main job was to protect the reservation along with Brady and Collin.

Seth decided to clean his mother's house. It didn't need cleaning, but he wanted it to look perfect for Bella. He even went to the flower shop in Forks and bought a few arrangements and set them up around the house. He put a vase full of pink roses in the room Bella would, hopefully, be using. After that, he came home and baked. Seth had been living on his own for years now and he had quickly learned that if he wanted to eat something other than fast food, he needed to learn how to cook. So, he made everything from pumpkin bread to chocolate chip cookies, hoping it would please his imprint.

Seth wasn't the only one cooking for Bella, though. Unbeknownst to him, almost all of the imprints and elder's wives on the reservation were whipping up their own delicacies. There had been a short meeting between the pack and tribal elders during which Jacob had informed the pack and their imprints that Bella had left the area to keep Forks and La Push safe. Cooking their specialties was their way of thanking her. Joy Ateara was busy canning fresh jam for Bella to take home with her to New York City. Meanwhile, Billy Black was carving a Quileute bracelet of a wolf for her.

Around 3pm, Bella knocked on the door. Seth eagerly went to answer the door.

"Hi, I said that I'd stop by," Bella said shyly. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, it was the fact that she didn't feel at home in La Push. The fact was that her father was never really a part of her life, her mother never really cared, and Bella's real family was a group of four overprotective vampires who had taught her more about life in the last thirteen years than her blood relatives ever did. And here she was at a reservation with admitted vampire killers, she wasn't sure how comfortable she felt with that knowledge.

"Come in, Bella. Mom and Dad are out shopping for groceries."

Bella walked inside and sat on the sofa.

"Would you like something to drink?" Seth asked. "We have soda, beer, wine, milk, orange juice, lemonade, iced tea, egg nog, and bottled water."

"Water will be fine."

Seth grabbed a bottle of water and sat down across from her.

"So, you're an emergency department physician. At what hospital?"

"New York Downtown Hospital."

"Do you like working there?"

"It's busy. It's crazy busy, but I don't mind. You mentioned that you're a family practitioner. Where?"

"I work at a practice in Quincy, Massachusetts about twenty minutes south of Boston."

"That must be different."

"Well, it's not as busy as the emergency department. I remember doing my rounds in Chicago while I was an intern. It was nuts. I like a more relaxed pace. I like family practice because I get to see all different kinds of patients and, in many cases, I can get to know the entire family."

"How come you didn't come back here to work? In my experience, most members of Native American tribes return to their reservations after their residencies."

"Um, this isn't the life for me. I prefer it on the East Coast."

"Oh." Bella didn't want to pry as to why he chose to live so far away from his family and his tribe. Everyone was entitled to their own privacy.

"Did you meet a lot of Native Americans during your residency?"

"Yes, I did. I was one of the few white people there along with Alice and Charlotte. Alaska Native Medical Center has a lot of trouble getting residents in because most people don't want to move to Alaska."

"I can see why. I made sure that I applied for residencies in bigger cities."

"Where did you get your medical training?"

"Washington State University. I did my undergraduate work there too. Are you only certified in emergency medicine?"

"No, I'm also certified in rural medicine and internal medicine. How about you?"

"Rural medicine as well. I figured that if I was ever became hard up on finding a job, I could always come back here to the tribal clinic. They're always looking for help. Whenever I'm home, they call me when they need a hand."

Seth knew that he had jinxed himself at that point. His cell phone rang. Sure enough, the tribal clinic needed help, their urgent care clinic was overflowing with patients.

"Damn it, I need to go to the tribal clinic. I knew I shouldn't have picked up that call."

"I can help you, if you'd like," Bella said. "Truth be told, I'd rather not wait here by myself. I have my medical bag in my car. I always carry it with me."

"Well, come on. They have scrubs and lab coats there."

Bella drove with Seth to the small clinic. She was introduced to the staff, who were grateful for the help, quickly. She was surprised to learn that there wasn't a physician on staff. The clinic was run by two physician's assistants and two nurse practitioners who were supervised by Dr. Gerandy of Fork's General Hospital.

She had just finished diagnosing a child with an ear infection when Seth hollered for her. A man was brought to the clinic by his wife after he accidentally sliced through part of his leg with a running chain saw. He was bleeding profusely from his leg all over the waiting room floor. One of the nurses had already called an ambulance knowing that this was a case for the emergency department in Forks.

Bella jumped into action immediately. She yelled for some gauze to try to stave off the bleeding while Seth got a drip started. It was clear that the man had hit a major artery. They dove into the ambulance together with the man for the half hour ride to Forks.

"I need you to radio into Fork's General, get Dr. Gerandy on the line stat!" Bella yelled to the EMT. "We need an operating room set up immediately and at least twenty bags of O-neg ready to go in the emergency department."

"Hypovolemia!" Seth yelled indicating that the patient had gone into shock.

Bella turned her attention back to the patient while the EMT kept Dr. Gerandy abreast of the situation.

When they arrived at Fork's General, Seth and Bella were a bloody mess, but they couldn't leave the patient. Bella and Seth both ended up scrubbing up and assisting with the vascular repair surgery. By the time they got out it was seven pm.

"Bella, I'm used to seeing you as a patient in the emergency department, not the other way around," Dr. Gerandy chuckled. "I remember that you used to faint at the smell of your own blood. I guess you outgrew that."

"Definitely." Bella chuckled at the thought of how she got over her fear of blood. Her vampire family had brought in all sorts of blood and kept mugs of them lying around the house so she would become accustomed to the smell. Ironically, it was the same way that they taught newborn vampires how to control their bloodlust.

"Where do you practice, Bella?"

"New York Downtown Hospital."

"And are you staying with your father?"

"That's still up in the air, but I'll be in the area."

"Good, I'll call you when I need help."

"Gee, thanks, Dr. Gerandy." Bella was pretty sure that she was supposed to be on vacation.

"I'll be calling Seth here, too. Any chance I can convince the pair of you to come and work for me in Forks? We could use a couple of big city physicians here."

"Not at the moment," Seth replied.

"Let me give the two of you a ride back to La Push. I'm assuming that your cars are still at the tribal clinic since you came in the ambulance."

By the time Seth and Bella returned to the house, the entire pack was gathered in the living room and Sue and Charlie were pacing the floor.

"Christ, you two are a mess. We heard what happened," a worried Charlie said.

"How?"

"Small reservation, small town. Word is, that man would have been dead if it weren't for the two of you."

"Are you hungry?" Sue asked.

"Famished," Bella admitted. "We were in surgery during dinner."

"Well, why don't you both take showers and we'll get dinner out for you."

"Sure, my suitcase is in my car."

"Oh, I'll get that for you," Seth offered. Bella threw him her car keys while Sue showed her to the room she'd be staying in plus the bathroom.

"You didn't have to put flowers in my room," she said to Sue.

"Oh, I didn't, my son did that." She smiled and walked away, leaving Bella wondering why Seth would be so thoughtful as to leave pink roses on her nightstand for her.

Sue Clearwater couldn't be happier that Seth imprinted on Bella Swan. She was beautiful, successful, and self assured. She was perfect for him. Sue had worried that Seth would never have a meaningful relationship as a result of never imprinting. She knew that he had girlfriends in the past, but he made sure to never become too serious with them because he was afraid of hurting them. It was a concern that he brought up to his step-father.

Marrying Charlie was the best thing Sue ever did for her kids. He was a doting father to Leah and Seth, much more involved than Harry ever was. He took an active role in their lives, admittedly because he was such a lousy father to his own daughter. The guilt about his relationship with Bella weighed heavily on him. And Charlie Swan was walking on eggshells around his daughter for fear of chasing her away. She had proven to him that she had the ability to disappear off of the radar and with her powerful vampire friends, she had no doubt that if push came to shove, Bella Swan would once again disappear without a trace. Sue's goal was to make sure that Bella felt welcomed enough so that she stayed in their lives.

As soon as Bella and Seth were out of the shower, they were seated at the dining table and surrounded by the pack. Everyone had a specialty dish or dessert that they made and wanted them to try.

"Gee, and this is two days before Christmas. What's it like on Christmas Day?" Bella asked.

"Oh, it's psychotic. We cook and cook and cook some more," Kim said. "Do you cook, Bella?"

"As a matter of fact, it's a hobby of mine. Growing up, my parents couldn't cook to save their lives so I soon learned that if I didn't want to starve to death, I needed to learn how to cook."

"That's for sure," Charlie said. "I miss your beef stroganoff, Bells."

"Oh, I can make that for you while I'm here."

"Did I hear that Bells is making beef stroganoff?" Billy Black asked as he wheeled himself inside.

"Yes, I am. Would you like to come for dinner then?"

"Absolutely."

A minute later, the entire pack had invited themselves for dinner. Beef Stroganoff was scheduled for the day after Christmas.

Bella wasn't sure how she felt about all of these people she didn't really know suddenly inviting themselves for dinner. She was a bit overwhelmed. She smiled graciously at everyone, but, in all honesty, she felt terribly uncomfortable. These wolves were really odd. The men and women were all a bit overly polite, almost as if they were going out of their way to be nice to her. Almost all of the women showed up with some sort of dish that was their specialty and the men all took great pains to speak to her. Seth Clearwater seemed like he was the only normal one here. At least he was acting completely himself. Bella made a mental decision to stick close to Seth. The rest of these wolves and their wives were odd; they were a bit...clingy, perhaps?

**XOXO**

The next morning, Christmas Eve, Bella slept in and woke up feeling refreshed. Seth was already awake and flipping pancakes at the table on an electric griddle. Her father was fiddling with a couple of fishing lines while Sue was in the kitchen frying up some bacon.

"Good morning," she greeted. "May I assist with anything?"

"No, no, we have everything under control here. Just relax and make yourself at home." It bothered Sue that Bella was so formal in her speech with her. She wanted her to feel comfortable with her just like Seth and Leah were comfortable with Charlie.

Leah and Jacob walked into the house at that moment with their two sons. Leah greeted both Charlie and Sue with kisses on the cheek.

A boy, around ten years old, who was the spitting image of Jacob walked up to Bella. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bella. Who are you?"

"I'm Harrison."

"Harrison, that's a fine name," Bella said.

"Everyone calls me Harry. I'm named after my grandpa who died."

Bella felt someone tugging on her pants. "I'm William. I have a boo-boo." A little boy around five years old showed Bella a bandaged finger.

"How did that happen?"

"I got a paper cut."

"What a mean paper," Bella replied. She thought back to her eighteenth birthday party when she got a paper cut and Jasper, who was overcome with everyone's bloodlust, nearly attacked her.

"Okay, boys, leave Aunty Bella alone," Leah told them.

Aunty Bella? Um...Bella was not comfortable at all with that. She smiled a fake smile and sat down to have breakfast. She ate quickly then told everyone that she needed to take a quick ride to Port Angeles. As soon as she got there, she parked her vehicle in a McDonald's parking lot and called Alice.

"Alice, can I go home yet?"

"_Absolutely not! You're to stay put Bella."_

"I don't feel comfortable. And these people are too clingy. I mean, my father's stepdaughter is having her kids call me Aunty Bella. I'm an only child! How can I be an aunt? And yesterday, the women all acted as if I was their sister or something. I felt so crowded-in! And you know what else? They invited themselves to dinner when I told my father I'd make him his favorite beef stroganoff."

"_Bella, they just want to get to know you."_

"Can't they fucking do Facebook and Twitter like normal people? On top of that, I feel like I can't talk about you guys. I flipped out a couple of times last night because they called you guys bloodsuckers and leeches. I didn't appreciate that at all. I did tell them that the Cullens were those things though. So can I leave? If I leave now, I can make it to Paris by Christmas."

"_No, you may not. Besides, we're not in Paris right now."_

"Where are you?"

"_We're hunting exotic game in Kenya."_

"Kenya? I want to go to Kenya! Please, Alice? I really don't like it here. I'll sit in a tree while you hunt like I used to."

"_No, you're to stay put. I promise you that if you do, you'll be happy."_

"What are you not telling me Alice?"

"_My lips are sealed. Oh, and you need to pick up extra Christmas gifts."_

"What? I hate shopping!"

"_Just pick up a few hundred dollar gift cards."_

"To where?"

"_I don't know, wherever people around Forks and La Push shop."_

"Forks Outfitters?"

"_Yes, yes, that should do. Now go to the nail salon, get a mani-pedi and take a bit of a break. You need to calm down and relax, you're meeting your...um...and um...get your eyebrows waxed too."_

"I'm meeting my what, Alice?" Bella asked suspiciously.

"_Nothing, nothing. Just do as I say." Click._

Bella let out a deep sigh. Her phone call to Alice got her nowhere. It appeared as if she had to tough it out in La Push with these strange, clingy people who insisted on making her a part of their family.

**XOXO**

Jacob Black was perplexed. Sure, it's been over a decade since he'd spoken to her and, admittedly, he had to end their friendship in a harsh manner thirteen years ago, but he was sure that she understood. Bella, though, seemed to be extremely uncomfortable, she held everyone at arm's length. This morning, after breakfast, Bella practically ran out of the house. It was almost as if she couldn't get away from everyone fast enough. Now she was in Port Angeles running whatever errand she had to run instead of sticking around and getting to know her family. For all intents and purposes, he was now her brother-in-law due to the fact that Leah was his wife and Charlie and Sue were married and he fully intended to fulfill that role. On top of everything else, Seth had imprinted on Bella and now she was a part of the pack regardless of her past with vampires. He decided to call a pack meeting to discuss the Bella Swan situation.

The pack and elders gathered at Sue's house to discuss Seth's imprinting on Bella Swan. They were all urging Seth to break the news of the imprinting to Bella immediately, but he knew that he couldn't just spring it on her. Circumstances were different between him and his pack brothers. Seth and Bella were no longer high school students or even young adults who viewed the world with wide open eyes. They had experienced life, seen the world, and had careers and lives of their own to maintain. Neither of them were tied to La Push or Forks by any means.

"Just give me an opportunity to discuss it with her privately," Seth pleaded. "I don't know her. None of us know her really and we shouldn't overwhelm her. It's obvious that it took a great deal for her to muster up the confidence to come and see Charlie."

"But we're her family now," Leah protested.

"I hate to tell you this, Leelee, but I don't even think she considers Charlie family. I mean he did say that he wasn't as involved as he should have been with her. Do you remember how our father was with us when he was still alive."

"I do," his sister admitted.

"Well, I think we need to make a greater effort to welcome her," Sue declared. "At this point, she seems to be more comfortable with her bloodsuckers."

"They kept her safe, Mom. Whether or not they're our sworn enemy, they not only kept Bella safe, but from the sounds of it, they kept La Push safe. And I think that if you guys keep referring to them as leeches or bloodsuckers, you're just going to push her away. Think about it, the last thirteen years of her life was spent with them as her only family. That's more time than she's lived continuously with Charlie."

"Geez, Seth, when you put it that way, it kind of changes the whole scope of things," Jared said. "She must think that we're all a bunch of assholes."

Right at that moment, Bella Swan pulled up in front of the house after running her errands. She was on her cell phone making a last ditch effort to leave La Push. This time she was talking to Peter. Unbeknownst to her, the ears of the entire pack was eavesdropping on her conversation with him.

"_Pete, I have to get out of here! Alice says that I have to stay, but I don't want to. I know that I sound like a petulant child, but can't I leave?"_

"_Nope, you're going to have to gut it out, kitten."_

"_Petey! I swear to God, if you don't let me come and visit you and Sugar Tits, I'm going to tell her how you ruined your latest issue of Big and Bouncy!"_

"Big and Bouncy?" Paul mouthed excitedly. It was his favorite nudie magazine and he, too, had two subscriptions. One to archive and the other to use.

"And who the hell is Sugar Tits?" Sam asked in a whisper. "I want to meet someone named Sugar Tits." Sam was a titty man and loved women who were well-endowed on top. He got a dreamy expression on his face imagining the breasts on someone named Sugar Tits.

"_You know that Char doesn't give a crap about that stuff, now what has you all in a tizzy? What's wrong with everyone in La Push?"_

"_They're...I don't know...they're clingy, you know. They all act like they've known me for ages when they only just met me yesterday. I'm just not comfortable here. Plus they call you guys derogatory names like leeches and bloodsuckers."_

"_Well, that's not cool."_

"_So can I come and see you guys?"_

"_Nope."_

"_What?"_

"_You need to stay there, kitten. Get to know these people. You don't want to be alone for the rest of your life, do you?"_

"_Peter, I swear, I'll make more friends when I go back to New York. I'll even make it a point to go out with my colleagues after work or some shit. Just please, please, please let me visit you and Char for Christmas. These people are weird. The men and the women are too touchy feely, like leeches—I mean the insect not the derogatory term they use about you guys, and they're too...I don't know...how to describe it, Pete, they seem to operate like they're one big group. It's too weird. Very Cullen-like if you ask me."_

"Cullen-like?" Jacob asked the equally shocked pack. He was completely aghast at the comparison.

"Did she just compare us to a bunch of leeches to a leech?" Jared was completely stunned.

"_Isabella Marie Swan, as your big brother, I'm ordering you to stay put. Who knows, you might realize that someone piques your interest in two days time."_

"_Alright, what the fuck are you and Alice hiding from me? And that's another thing, I have to watch my mouth while I'm here, curtail the swearing, and act all ladylike and shit. You know how I have a hard time doing that. I also have to be careful of what I talk about because, god forbid, I mention you guys in front of them; they might attack you guys and then I'll have to find a way to put them to death. They can feel free to kill the Cullens though, I don't give a shit about them. But if they lay one hand on my family, I will find a way to murder the whole lot of them. And believe me, I can be very creative in my methods of exacting death."_

"_You're so cute when you're angry and protective. I bet your lips are all pouty and your nose is scrunched up."_

"_Peter! Stop changing the subject. What the fuck is your all knowing ass hiding from me? You don't usually mention a time frame."_

"_You'll find out soon enough. Open your heart and your mind, Bells. I love you and if any of them give you trouble, you call me and I'll run down and open up a can of whoop ass on them!"_

"_Why won't you tell me why I have to be here? You've never hidden anything from me."_

"_Sorry, I have to go and play hide the salami with my mate."_

"_No one uses the phrase 'hide the salami' anymore, Pete."_

"_Goodbye, kitten, have a nice Christmas." Click._

Bella groaned in frustration when her cell phone buzzed.

"_Hello?" _she answered shortly.

"_Bella, this is Dr. Gerandy over at Forks General. Our emergency department is much busier than usual. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind coming to assist for a few hours until five pm? One of our physicians called out sick."_

"_Absolutely, I'm on my way,"_ she answered cheerfully. She ended the call and uttered a relieved, _"Thank fuck!"_ under her breath before she turned her car engine back on and drove away.

**XOXO**

The pack was completely silent when she drove away. "What? What just happened?" Sue and Billy both asked.

"She was begging one of her leech friends to let her visit him and his wife. He wouldn't let her come, told her that she needs to stay in La Push or she'll be alone for the rest of her life," Jacob explained.

"She did mention that one of the vamps was a seer and the other just knows shit. Maybe they know that Seth is her mate?" Billy threw the possibility out there.

"Do you think it's possible that they're actually working with us?"

"It sure sounded like it," Sam said. "One thing is for sure, neither of them had any love for the Cullens."

"I'm glad you brought that up," Billy interjected. "I think the treaty needs to be reviewed and revised. Clearly, five of the Cullens didn't think that Bella was important enough to keep safe. In my view, that's a violation of the treaty. A big one. It needs to be spelled out and placed in the archives for any future pack members in case they do return. And as much as I hate to do it, we need to make a treaty with the vampires that kept Bella safe. They not only kept an imprint safe for us, they kept La Push safe for us, that's significant in my opinion. Well, we have plenty of time to do this. We need to get Seth and Bella together first and she keeps finding ways to avoid him and the rest of the pack. She's going to be a tough nut to crack."

The pack decided that it would be best if Jacob tried to warm up to her first since he knew her best. He waited for her on the front porch of the house and around six pm, Bella parked her rental car and got out wearing hospital scrubs.

"Hi Jake," she greeted. "You're still here?"

"I'm always here. My wife can't cook so we come here to eat."

"Oh, how long have you been married?"

"Believe it or not, almost eleven years. I got married on my eighteenth birthday."

"Wow, that's young. And you've been here the entire time? What do you do?"

"I'm a mechanic. I own a comprehensive auto repair shop with Quil and Embry, we do everything from engine repairs to body work."

"You must be excellent at your job. I remember how you used to work magic with my red truck."

"Believe it or not, that truck is still running. It was Seth's first truck when he got his license after you left. Anyway, after he was done driving it, Quil, Embry, and I completely overhauled it and put in a new engine, your dad drives it now."

"That's awesome, Jake. You'd like Pete, he...um...that's great. I'm glad that you like cars."

"You can talk about your vampire friend, Bells. He's a part of your life," he said kindly.

"Um, I was just saying that you'd like Peter. He overhauls cars for fun. He just rebuilt a '69 Dodge Charger to look like the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazard." She pulled her iPhone out. "Here, he just sent pictures of the car and the engine."

Jacob scrolled through what must have been fifty photos and he was thoroughly impressed. "Now, that's amazing. He did the work himself?"

"Yeah, he does all of the work himself. He likes to tinker. He taught me how to do basic car repairs like oil changes and whatnot so that I wouldn't have to waste money on stuff like that."

"That was nice of him. I'm glad he taught you, everyone should know how to do those things."

"Yeah, they should. Um, well, I'm going to go inside and have a shower now. I always feel germy after leaving a shift at the hospital."

"Sure, sure, it was nice talking to you, Bells."

"It was nice catching up with you, too, Jacob."

Bella went inside, greeted the massive crowd inside, and went to take a shower. She still couldn't understand why these people had to all congregate together all of the time She took a quick shower and went out to face the wolves, she laughed at the idea, then thought to herself, _"They're wolves. Wolves run as a pack." _She made a mental note to look up wolf behavior on her laptop later, maybe that would clue her in to the odd behavior of these people.

Dinner was an odd event, Sue had a table set up buffet style where everyone could just grab food and eat. Bella was used to eating alone, she had spent the bulk of the last thirteen years with vampires who consumed blood. Twice a year, on Christmas and her birthday, the two mated couples would consume human food just for her so she didn't have to eat alone. Her family was that sweet to her.

As she finished her dinner, she stared in shock as most of the men hit the buffet for fourth and fifth helpings of food.

"We have a higher metabolism than an average human. That's why we need more calories," Seth explained, settling in next to her. "Feel my wrist. I think you'll understand what I mean."

Bella placed her hand on the inside of Seth's wrist and gasped in shock. He was burning up, but it wasn't just his elevated body temperature that shocked her, it was the tingles that pulsed straight through her fingers and ran through her entire body.

"Um, wait here," Bella said. She ran into her bedroom and grabbed a thermometer from her medical bag. She returned and shoved it into his mouth.

Seth pulled it out before it beeped. "One-o-eight point nine, that's the temperature we run at."

He placed the thermometer in her palm and couldn't resist keeping his hand in hers. He liked the feeling of electricity radiating between them. The other imprinted couples were all watching them with knowing smiles on their faces.

"I'll just put this away," Bella murmured. She shut the door to her room and sank down to the floor. The tingles, the electricity, the two vampire couples that she lived with described those as part of the mating pull. But Seth wasn't a vampire, he was mostly human, and she was a hundred percent human. How could she, a mere human, be experiencing these feelings. And it wasn't just the electricity—she felt drawn to him, but why? She really didn't know the guy well at all. She wasn't sure what it was, but she intended to find out.

After inhaling a couple of deep breaths to steady herself, Bella headed back out to face the wolves. The party broke up soon after with the women assisting with the washing up. She didn't like that at all. She felt that men and women should participate equally in household chores. She noticed that Seth was the only male helping and she liked that about him. It was a big plus in fact. He was sensitive, much more sensitive than his sister.

Bella liked Leah, but she didn't like how Sue Clearwater cooked three meals a day for her family and she left without so much as a 'thank you.' She didn't even help with the clean up. Oh well, it wasn't her business to intrude. These people weren't her family so she wasn't about to say anything.

She decided to retreat to her room and fill out Christmas cards for these additional families who she didn't bring gifts for. Bella had only brought Christmas gifts with her for Charlie and Sue. She had assumed that this trip would be nice and quiet. She didn't realize that she'd be inundated with people her father and his wife considered extended family wanting to get to know her.

**XOXO**

The next morning, Christmas, was a flurry of activity. Bella woke up early to help Sue get started on the turkey and fixings. Around ten am, Charlie, Sue, Seth, and Bella sat by the tree and it was time to open gifts prior to breakfast. The amount of presents under the tree was mind-blowing. Bella wasn't accustomed to this. She received a beautiful sweater set and some pretty drop earrings from Sue and Charlie and a box of Godiva chocolates from Seth. She added this as a plus to the mental tally she was now keeping on Seth.

Bella gave Sue and Charlie their gifts. "Um, I wasn't sure what to get for you so I got you all gift cards," she said. She had given Charlie and Sue each one thousand dollar gift cards to LL Bean. Yesterday, she rushed into the Starbucks in Port Angeles to purchase Seth a hundred dollar gift card from there. She knew for a fact that doctors lived on coffee and she noticed in the last couple of days that Seth was no different. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what you liked so I figured that you could choose something that you like online from L.L. Bean."

"Thank you, Bella. This is so generous," Sue said giving her a hug. "There's a new coat that I want from L.L. Bean and several other items. I'll be able to buy that and more with this."

"And L.L. Bean has tons of fishing gear, kiddo. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Charlie, Sue," she said.

Seth held his gift card up. "I go to Starbucks three times a day, this will definitely come in handy."

"I figured that. I stop there a couple of times a day myself." Bella decided to change the topic. "So when are everyone else stopping by?"

"Everyone will be here around four. Why don't you have Seth show you around the reservation," Sue suggested. "You haven't been here in thirteen years, there have been a few changes."

"Oh, sure. As long as it's not an imposition on..."

"I'd love to show you around," Seth jumped up from his perch on the floor eagerly. He grabbed his jacket and practically bolted to the door. He wanted to spend some time getting to know Bella.

They walked for a bit, silently, around the reservation. "So, tell me about yourself, Bella," Seth prompted.

"There's not much to know. I'm a doctor. I usually end up working ten to twelve hour shifts then going home to crash. I drink a lot of coffee and I live in a penthouse in the Upper East Side."

"I have to ask you and please don't be offended, how can you afford to live on the Upper East Side? It's not exactly affordable on a standard ER physician's salary."

"Well, my vampire family are wealthy—wealthier than even the Cullens. I have two extremely overprotective brothers that refused to let me go off on my own without some form of financial security so they purchased a penthouse for me in a secure building in a safe neighborhood along with parking. They also set me up with a bank account with an ostentatious sum of money in it, despite my protests that, as a physician, I'd be able to support myself well."

"Wow. I was wondering because penthouses on the Upper East Side don't come cheap. I mean, celebrities live there."

"I know, it's embarrassing really, but Jasper, Alice, Peter, and Charlotte are like an odd combination of parents and siblings to me. They refused to take no for an answer and it made them feel better knowing that I had financial security. It's made life a lot easier for me," she admitted. "But enough about me, tell me about yourself. I know for a fact that you're Charlie's pride and joy."

"He's done a lot for me, much more than my own father or mother ever did. When I first phased into a wolf, it was a horrific day. Leah and I were arguing while your father was over having dinner with my parents. The argument turned physical with Leah slapping me across the face. I became furious and my body started vibrating with tremors, which is what happens prior to transforming for the first time. Suddenly, the two of us phased in the middle of the living room in front of my parents and your father. My father collapsed from a heart attack right then and there. My mother was freaking out and your father was the only one holding it together. He administered CPR while the rest of the pack came to take care of me and Leah. Billy and Old Quil explained stuff to your father and my mother."

"Oh my God, that must have been a horrible day for you. I'm so sorry."

"This is where you're going to think I'm a terrible person. My father dying was the best thing that ever happened to both me and Leah. Your father has been a fixture in our lives from that point on. He took care of my mother, Leah, and me. He made sure that we didn't fall into a depression and he was completely involved in my life, more so than my own father ever was."

"That's great to hear. I have to admit that I don't really know Charlie very well. He wasn't a very involved parent with me and, with my mother, I was more of the parent. I spent most of my childhood taking care of her rather than vice versa."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Seth. Like you, I had a different set of parents. Sure they weren't exactly human, but they were caring, loving, and humane and that's all that really matters, isn't it?"

"I agree with you."

"I have a question for you and, if I'm being rude, please let me know right away. Why are your extended family members so clingy and handsy?"

"You're talking about the pack right?"

"Yes."

"It's a wolf thing. We run as a pack, we are one pack so in order to assure each other that we're there for each other, we touch each other."

"Interesting. And their wives-why are they so subservient to their husbands? Well, everyone with the exception of Leah."

"You noticed that, huh? You're really observant. I don't have an answer for you. With Leah, though, I can say it's because Jacob is the alpha male wolf and Leah is his alpha female wolf mate."

"So wolves have mates?"

"We call them imprints, but yes we have mates."

"Vampires have mates."

"Really? How do they meet them?"

"They just know. They feel something called the mating pull. Electricity when they touch, chest pain when they're apart for long periods of time, odd physical characteristics like that. They can feel when their mates are happy, sad, angry, or in danger."

"Wolves are like that too. Maybe part of the reason why the wives are so subservient is because they feel a need to take care of their mates. I don't know, I can't explain it. I don't like it. As for Jacob and Leah eating at my parent's house all the time, it's a necessity if my nephews want to be fed. It's not that Leah is irresponsible. She's an RN and extremely responsible. Leah just can't cook. Her food is truly not palatable."

"Gotcha, she must be like my mother. No matter what she tries to cook the food comes out tasting like shit." Bella flinched. "Sorry for swearing. I don't exactly have a very ladylike mouth. I'm trying to keep it in check while I'm here."

"You don't have to feel so uncomfortable, Bella. Feel free to be yourself. The pack is being exceptionally well behaved in front of you, usually we have all sorts of curses flying around."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Come on, let's get back. I'm sure everyone is there by now."

"Oh, okay. Thank you for taking me on a tour."

"I didn't really take you on a tour, Bella. We just walked and talked."

"So what? I had fun." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Seth was mesmerized. It was the first genuine smile that she had smiled since arriving in La Push and he hoped to get more of those out of her. She was breathtaking when she smiled and Seth could see what had captivated Jacob before he imprinted on Leah.

She was a very quirky girl, most likely from her very strange experience of living with vampires. He wasn't bothered by the fact at all. In fact, he was intrigued. Her vampire family seemed like really nice people and he actually wanted to meet them.

They arrived back at the house and, sure enough, they were surrounded by the pack once again. As soon as Bella walked inside, people were giving her Christmas presents. She mentally thanked Alice for telling her that she'd need to pick up gift cards for the additional families. She gave each family a one hundred dollar gift card to Fork's Outfitters.

Emily was the first to thank her, "Bella, this is so generous of you. Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely, you've all been so kind with cooking your specialties for me and whatnot. I truly appreciate your hospitality. And I love the hat and mittens that you knitted for me. I've never had anything hand knit for me before. I feel so special. Thank you so much." Bella really did appreciate the beautiful accessory set. It was a hell of a lot more heartfelt and because it was homemade, it was all the more valuable to her.

"You're welcome and you are very special to the pack. You know that, don't you?"

"Uh...sure." Bella thought that was an odd, cryptic statement. Why the hell would she be special to the pack?

The next person to give Bella a gift was Billy Black and his wife Joy.

"I made you some homemade jam, Bella. I thought that you could take it home with you to New York City."

"Joy, thank you, I'm so touched. I can't believe you made this all yourself."

"Oh, it was nothing. I've been doing it since I was a little girl."

"Don't say it was nothing. You put a lot of effort into it and I loooove jam."

"What are your favorite flavors?"

"Strawberry, Raspberry, and Peach."

"Oh, I'll make you peach in the summertime."

"Stop hogging Bells," Billy interrupted his wife and handed Bella a package. "I made you something, sweetheart."

She opened up a package containing a silver bracelet with a very detailed, intricate wooden carving of a wolf hanging from it. "This is beautiful, Billy. Did you carve it yourself?"

"I did."

"It must have taken you days to carve. Really, I'm not worth the trouble, but thank you." Bella gave Billy a peck on his cheek causing him to blush a deep shade of crimson—a difficult task to do with his tanned skin.

"Bella, you are worth it," Seth whispered from behind her.

His words reminded her of a time, years ago, in Phoenix when Jasper had told her she was worth it. She turned to face Seth and nodded her head in thanks before she, once again, had to face the steady stream of people wanting to wish her a happy Christmas.

A couple of hours later, Bella slipped out of the back door. It was still early evening and the party was in full swing. She decided to go for a short walk so she could get away from the throngs of people inside.

"Hi Bella," a female voice chirped from behind her.

"Oh, hello Leah."

"So, are you going for a walk?"

"Um, yeah, I just needed to get away for a bit."

"I don't blame you. I used to not be a big people person either."

"Do you always get together like this?"

"Believe it or not, yes. It's a wolf thing."

"There seem to be a lot of wolf things," Bella commented.

"It kind of changes your whole perspective on life. We have special needs that come along with being wolves. We like to stay in a big group, make decisions together, eat together as a pack."

"So what you're saying is that although you're human, you take on wolf-like characteristics."

"Yeah, something like that."

"How come your brother doesn't live with you?"

"He's always been a free spirit. He's never let the pack control his actions. A lot of his free thinking comes from our dad...I mean...um...your dad."

"It's alright, Leah. Charlie's been more of a father to you and Seth and I'm happy for you. I really only spent two years of my life with him—one during which I was an infant. When he had custody of me, I only saw him once a year and he never really made a big effort to see me more than that. I don't know him well at all and I highly doubt that I'll ever get to know him."

"Doesn't it bother you that Seth and I are closer to him?"

"Why should it? My life followed a different path from yours. I have people that fulfilled the role of parent just like Charlie did for you and Seth."

"You're talking about the leeches, right?"

"They're vampires, Leah," Bella snapped.

"They aren't human; they're cruel and unfeeling. They drink blood. They don't even have a beating heart. How could you call them parents?"

"They still feel, Leah. They have a deep capacity to love and to care. Have you ever known a vampire personally, aside from an evil one?"

Bella stalked away from Leah leaving her stunned in her wake. Fortunately for Bella, Leah didn't follow her. She was furious. She didn't take too kindly to her family being insulted. She realized though that much of Leah's prejudice was due to the fact that the Quileute wolves were designed to kill vampires. She recalled Seth saying earlier that the pack was being extremely polite in front of Bella and realized that they were as uncomfortable with her as she was with them. These people would never be able to accept the people that meant the most to her because it was inherently programmed within them not to. She decided that enough was enough—she would cut her trip short by a few days and return home to New York tomorrow. Coming to La Push was most certainly a bad idea. She returned to the house, slipped back into her room, and started packing. She planned on leaving first thing in the morning.

Bella rejoined the party with a fake smile on her face. She made polite conversation with everyone without delving into too much detail about her own life. She noticed that many of the wolves and their imprints took to joking about vampires as a form of entertainment. She gritted through those even if she wanted to shoot off at the mouth. When the party finally ended, she sat up with Charlie, Sue, and Seth for one last night, then loped off to bed happily—looking forward to her departure from the area tomorrow.

**Can you see how Bella would feel overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people wanting to get to know her? Do you understand why she's insulted by everyone referring to her friends as leeches and bloodsuckers? Why do Alice and Peter keep thwarting her decision to leave by insisting that she stay in La Push? Is there any hope for Seth? He does seem to be the only wolf that Bella is comfortable with, don't you think? Let me know your thoughts. I promise to respond to your review. XOXO mama4dukes**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone, I'm back. I need to apologize for my month long unintentional hiatus, I was hit with everything from sick kids (pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections-you name it, the kids had it) to my son's middle school production of High School Musical to a 3D model of an animal cell made out of food. No, the last one is not a joke-it was a real nightmare. Please be aware that sometimes life truly gets in the way and I'm unable to turn my attention to fanfiction. If there ever is another long break, you can be sure that it's because something got in the way. I love writing and I appreciate, from the bottom of my heart, that I have such wonderful readers that care enough to send me messages worried about my well being, as well as, my family's. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so caring and so patient.**_

_**I have another issue that I'd like to bring up with you. Over the weekend, a very vigilant reader named Missymumu, sent me a message stating that she discovered that You'll Find What You're Looking For At Walmart had been blatantly stolen and posted, word for word, on another site under a different title. I was devastated at the news, but very grateful to Missymumu for informing me of the news. From that point on, it literally took an army of fanfiction readers and writers alike to assist me in getting the story and the plagiarist removed from the site. It didn't end there though. In the process of urging the site to remove my story, it was discovered that six other stories by different authors had been copied and pasted on various sites under different titles. One story was copied and pasted on two different sites by different plagiarists.**_

_**Plagiarism is a serious issue. It makes a mockery out of fanfiction readers and writers alike and can be especially disheartening for the author whose work was stolen. In addition, plagiarism is against the law and considered to be theft of intellectual property and copyright infringement. I doubt that the plagiarizers realize the severity of their actions.**_

_**At this time, I'd like to ask readers and writers alike to be vigilant of fanfiction theft. If you notice a story has been blatantly stolen, inform the owner of the story so he or she can decide how to proceed. I'm confident that with awareness, we can conquer this vicious evil and make fanfiction a safe and happy place that all of us can enjoy.**_

_**There are several people that I need to thank for their assistance this weekend: Bell1 and NCChris for tackling the issue head on and helping me to get my story removed, Missymumu for alerting me to the situation, and the dozens of readers and writers who came to my aid and contacted the administration of the offending site. Thank you, I am so fortunate to have such wonderful friends in the world of fanfiction.**_

_**And now, on to the story...**_

_**This story is AU/OOC/OTT**_

_**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**_

_**Mature readers 18+ only please.**_

_****_**Fate's Hand At Play**

Around six am the next morning, Bella left a note for Charlie and Sue on her bed stating that she had to leave earlier than expected due to an unexpected emergency at work. She thanked them for everything, wished them well, and left them with her business card so that they could keep in touch with her. She hopped into the car and started driving away.

A few minutes later, Seth jolted awake when he heard a warning howl coming from Quil. He ran outside and immediately phased. He was soon joined by the rest of the pack.

"_I detected the scent of leech while I was on my way to work," _Quil told everyone. The pack spread out and immediately started running the perimeter.

"_Over by the border leading into Forks!"_ Jacob said. _"Shit! It's intercepting a car!"_ The entire pack started running to help. Jacob watched helplessly as the car halted to a stop. _"Oh my God, it's Bella!"_

"_Bella? What the hell is she doing out this early?"_ Sam asked.

Bella pulled over to the side of the road and hopped out of the car. "Pete! What the hell are you doing? You're blocking me!"

"Turn the fucking car around and drive back to your father's house!"

"I stayed through Christmas. That was the fucking deal. Now let me go before I miss my god-damned flight. If you don't, I'll cancel the subscription to Big and Bouncy that I got you for Christmas!"

"No big deal, I have two."

"Please, Pete, I just want to go home. I can't stand it here."

"Why? Are the people hurting you?"

It occurred to Jacob and the rest of the pack that if they could smell him, then he could smell them. He was having this conversation with Bella for their benefit.

"No, not exactly, but they'll never accept my family yet they expect me to accept theirs. When I mentioned that you were like parents to me to one of the wolves yesterday, she couldn't understand how or why I could love all of you because you guys don't have hearts that beat," Bella sighed. "I mean, how the hell am I supposed to make them understand that you guys were more like parents to me than Charlie and Renee ever were? You were there for me for every achievement, every heartbreak, and even for the mundane everyday things that weren't a big deal to me. You were the one who taught me how to change a flat in case of an emergency, Jasper sat with me and corrected every bit of homework I had, Char taught me how to...um...skip that...that's between me and her but it's been a very useful skill, and Alice went to yoga classes with me so I'd learn more balance. I love you guys and I truly can't be around your sworn enemies."

"Well, are they all like that?"

"Most are, Seth and Jacob aren't. I showed Jacob the General Lee pictures and he thought you did a great job. He owns a full service auto repair shop."

"Cool. Jacob's the kid that you rebuilt the motorcycles with, right?"

"Yes, but you see, I would never be able to introduce him to you even if you have a lot in common because they're wolves and you're vampires. You should hear some of the insults that they hurl jokingly. And some of their conversations consist of vampire jokes. I simply don't find any of it funny," Bella sobbed, frustrated and slumped to the forest floor. "Pete, I just want to go home."

Peter immediately picked Bella up and cradled her in his arms. "I hate seeing you cry, little one. You know that, don't you?"

"I'm just frustrated and pissed off. I don't understand why I'm suddenly being forced to stay here. Obviously it's important if you ran all the way here to stop me from leaving."

"I didn't run here. I flew my jet to Sekiu Airport then ran the rest of the way."

"Still, you felt it was important to come all the way here. Now why are you here?"

"To tell you that you need to turn around and return to your father's house. Have I ever steered you wrong, Bella?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then do it for me, okay? I promise that things will be better after today."

"Can we at least spend the morning together?"

"Yes, after you drive back and put your suitcase back in your room. I'll wait right here for you."

"Why can't you come with me?"

"I just can't, Bella."

"They'll murder you if you step into La Push, won't they?"

"Yes, they would."

"Fine, I'll stay in Port Angeles, but there's no way in hell I'm going back to La Push. I refuse to stay in a town filled with bloodthirsty wolves. No way, no how."

"You need to stay at your father's house, not in Port Angeles. And they have every reason not to trust us. Some of our kind have been ruthless to them."

"Okay, I admit that they do, but you, Char, Jasper, and Alice are different. They can't hold what happened to them in the past against a whole race of people."

"Bella, if you don't go and put your suitcase back now, I won't spend the morning with you. I was even going to inhale pancakes for you. Now which is it going to be? Because you're going back to La Push even if I have to walk you back there myself and be torn apart and burnt in the process."

"It's that important to you that I go back?" Bella asked, shocked.

"Yes, Bella, it is. Your happiness means more to me than my own life."

"Okay, I'll be right back. Don't go away."

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Never."

Bella hopped back into her rental and drove back to her father's house. She walked inside, put her suitcase back in the room, tore up the note that she wrote, and went back to meet Peter.

_**Meanwhile, at the border of Forks and La Push...**_

"I know you're there," Peter called to the wolves as soon as Bella left. "If you hurt me, you'll do more damage to her than you can ever imagine. You heard what she said to me, she doesn't trust you at all and if I turn up dead or missing, you'll be the ones that she blames."

Jacob phased back to human form to the horror of the pack. He slowly approached Peter who stood with his hands up.

"We're not going to hurt you," Jake assured. "I am Jacob Black, the alpha of the pack. You are one of the vampires that took care of Bella. Thank you."

"I'll always take care of her. She means the world to me and my mate."

"Why are you here and so hellbent on forcing her to stay when all she wants to do is leave?"

"You already know why, Jacob Black. Her mate is here and I don't want her to be lonely, none of us do."

"How come you know that her mate is here?"

"I know shit, let's just leave it at that. I'm going to give you fair warning too. If she is hurt in any way, my brother and I will come here and desecrate the lot of you even if it means our deaths. We don't take too kindly to the little one being upset."

The pack started growling at the vampire. Jacob told them all to stand down.

"We won't hurt her. We'd never hurt her. Bella means a lot to us. We appreciate the fact that she sacrificed thirteen years of her life to protect our reservation and the people of Forks. And you're right, she is an imprint, we would lay down our lives in order to keep her safe."

"Sometimes, Jacob, words—even unintentional ones, can do more harm than any sort of physical abuse. I'd urge you and your pack to remember that when you're around Bella. Like it or not, she'll always think of me as her family. Her human parents were not very involved in her life so she doesn't feel much of a connection to them."

"Yeah, I know," Jacob admitted. "Charlie never really made any sort of effort with Bella and Renee practically threw her out of the house once she got remarried. He's a good father to my mate and her brother and an excellent grandfather though, but that has nothing to do with Bella, does it?"

"No, but she's an understanding girl. She is not bitter at all, she's happy for the people that were able to forge a relationship with him; you need to understand that she was, more or less, given guidance by a motley crew of vampires that love her to the ends of the earth. To her, insulting us is like insulting your parents or your mates or your friends. Think, Jacob. You knew her best as a child. What is Bella really like? She's still the same girl, but maybe more confident and a little snarkier. Use that knowledge and help her mate get to know her."

"Thank you," Jacob said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Bella mentioned that you own a shop."

"I do, it's in the center of Forks, you can't miss it. Stop in if you'd like. I'd like to hear more about your rebuild. Bella showed me some photos—I was impressed."

"I might just do that, Jacob Black. You should go now. Bella's coming. Remember what I told you, talk to your pack."

Jake nodded his head before running into the woods. He and the pack watched as Bella drove up and the vampire hopped into the passenger seat of the car. The pack phased back to their human forms.

"Alright, which one of you pissed her off enough to make her want to leave?" Seth growled.

"It was me," Leah admitted. "I'm the one that told her that vampires don't have a heartbeat."

"Well, good going sis, you've pissed my imprint off with your fucking closed minded views!"

"Look, it's not my fault. I just couldn't see how Bella could consider the leeches family, but after hearing what the bloodsucker had to say, I can understand her a little more. She really doesn't consider Dad family at all, does she?"

"Leah, even Dad's admitted that he was a lousy father to Bella. You can't force her to love him. She'll always care about her vampire family more than him. Think about it? They did for her what Charlie did for us. They loved her."

"And I can attest to the fact that Charlie was an uninvolved father," Jacob added. "Look, honey, it's not that Bella doesn't care about Charlie because clearly she does since she left to protect him. The fact is that she'll never be as close to him as you and Seth are to him."

"Yeah, I guess."

Jacob looked up at the rest of the pack. "No vampire jokes or any callous remarks about them while Bella's around, that's an alpha order."

The pack all nodded their understanding and everyone headed off to work. Seth went back home and waited anxiously for Bella to return. He cleaned the entire house from top to bottom and even vacuumed the living room twice. Around two in the afternoon, Charlie told Seth that he was making him jumpy and sent him to Forks Outfitters to pick up beer, chips, and dip. Boy, was he glad that he was sent on the errand, he ran into Bella shopping for groceries.

"Hi, Seth. What are you doing all the way in Forks?"

"Dad sent me out for beer, chips, and dip."

"I remember having to keep a constant supply of chips and dip around for Charlie when I lived with him in Forks."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm cooking for everyone remember? Beef stroganoff."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that."

"That's because you were the only one that didn't invite yourself," she sighed.

"Yeah, the pack can be a bit overwhelming." Seth decided to man up instead of dawdling around. "I was wondering, do you want to get some dinner out tomorrow night?"

"If I'm still here, sure."

"Why? Were you thinking of leaving early? You still have a few more days left here with us."

"It's still up in the air, but I've got some stuff to take care of at home. I'm thinking of leaving early."

"Well, how about some coffee at the diner in Forks after dinner tonight, then?"

"Coffee and a slice of pie at the diner would be nice."

"I never offered you the pie." Seth narrowed his eyes jokingly.

"But you were going to," she chuckled. "I mean, who takes someone for coffee at the diner without offering them a slice of pie.

Dinner went extremely well. The entire pack and their imprints were well behaved due to Jake's alpha order; that and the fact that Bella's beef stroganoff was so good that no one wanted to speak lest they miss out on the delicious food.

After dinner, Seth and Bella bowed out and went to the diner for coffee and dessert. He warned the pack not to show up there. Jacob helped by reiterating the warning by way of an alpha order, They were on their second cup of coffee now and Seth still hadn't brought up the imprinting issue with her.

"So, I have a question for you and I won't be offended if you say no," Bella said.

"You won't know unless you ask."

"I know," she whispered. "It's just that I have this insatiable curiosity and...um...now that I know that you're a wolf...well...um..."

"Just spit it out, Bella."

"Is there anyway that I can observe your transformation into a wolf. It's just that I noticed that there's a full moon out and I didn't want to miss the opportunity. Unless, of course, you think it's too dangerous. I remember Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He was way too dangerous to be around during a full moon. You know what? Forget it...it's okay. It was a stupid thing to ask."

"Bella, I think something got lost in translation. We're not like the traditional werewolves that you read about in books, we're shape-shifters."

"I don't understand."

"We can transform at will at anytime. We're not a danger to humans at all."

"So you're an animagus like Sirius Black was in the Harry Potter series?"

"Um, yeah, except we can only become wolves."

"Oh, interesting."

"And yes, I'd love to show you my wolf."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Seth reached over the table and grabbed her hand in reassurance. Electric currents shot up both of their arms and a feeling of warmth overtook their bodies. They looked into each other's eyes for a few minutes. Seth felt himself imprinting on Bella once again. They broke apart when the waitress came to the table to ask if they wanted more coffee.

"No, thank you. We'll take the check," Seth told her. The waitress handed him the bill and he paid it, leaving a generous tip.

"Thank you, Seth," Bella said.

"You're welcome. Now, come on. I want to show you my wolf."

He drove Bella to First Beach and parked the car. When they got out, he abruptly picked her up bridal style and started running. Bella noticed that he was much faster than a normal human, but not quite as fast as a vampire. She snuggled her head into his chest to keep the wind from whipping at her face. She couldn't believe how absolutely safe and secure she felt in his arms. She was so comfortable that she thought that she could fall asleep.

Seth stopped in a pretty, little grassy area in the middle of the forest that was ensconced by trees and bushes.

"I have to take my clothes off or they'll rip while I'm phasing."

"That's fine. I'm used to seeing naked bodies at my job."

Seth quickly stripped out of his clothes and hung them on a tree limb. Bella was staring at him completely entranced with the perfection of his body. He was perfectly sculpted and had muscles in all the right places.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Okay, stay right there. Don't move until I'm done phasing. I don't want you to get hurt."

Bella nodded her head and stayed as still as possible. She kept her eyes trained on Seth. He took a deep breath in and closed his eyes as he expelled air from his lungs. Then, before she knew it, a humongous, sandy wolf stood in his place. She recognized his eyes, it was definitely Seth.

"May I come closer?" Bella asked.

Seth nodded his head that she could. She approached him without hesitation and brushed the fur on his back before she moved to face him with a smile. "You're a beautiful wolf. You're much bigger than I imagined. I thought that you would actually become smaller."

Bella stroked under his muzzle and jaw causing Seth to let out a small bark in pleasure. "You like that? Do you want to return to human form?"

He didn't really want to but he needed to talk to Bella so he nodded his head while searching her eyes. Seth was completely entranced and so was his wolf. His imprint had accepted his wolf without any reservations like all of the imprints had done in the past. Even Leah, who was a wolf herself, had shirked away from Jacob's wolf side when they had first imprinted on each other.

It was as if the wolf could see into her soul. Bella couldn't believe it. She felt as if she were one with the wolf. This was the second time this evening that she felt as if she were a part of him. Earlier at the diner, she could feel herself melting into Seth.

"Do you need me to back up to where I was standing earlier?" she asked.

Seth nodded his head, watching as Bella backed up. She never took her eyes off of him as he returned to his human form. Before he could get dressed, Bella approached him and took his hands into hers.

"Thank you for doing that for me. It meant a great deal to me."

"You're welcome," he whispered, stroking her cheek. He leaned in to kiss her—at first softly, then when she responded to him, the kisses became more urgent.

Bella completely lost herself in Seth. She barely knew him at all yet she felt as if she had known him her entire life. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. She was desperate to touch him, to feel him.

Seth, too, was completely out of control. For the first time in his life, he was warring with his wolf. It wasn't like him to give into his physical side so easily, but his wolf was demanding that his mate be claimed. He tried desperately to hold on to his control but lost himself in Bella's kisses. He sunk down onto the snow covered grass and pulled his imprint onto his lap. He decided to just let nature take it's course.

They started making out in earnest now. Bella's hands explored the toned lines of his perfectly sculpted body. Seth reached under her shirt and, with one hand, he unhooked her bra so he could caress her breasts. Bella moaned as his fingers brushed her nipples and, with one fell swoop, her shirt and bra were removed and Seth was planting kisses down her body.

Her body craved the contact with him. It had to be him, no one else. Wherever his hands and lips made contact with her skin, she felt heat and electricity course through her. She didn't notice that Seth had slid her pants off and that she was completely naked until she felt his velvet tongue stroking her folds. She arched into him, succumbing to the feel of his tongue on her.

Somewhere in his subconscious, Seth knew that he should stop and tell her about the imprinting, but his wolf wouldn't stop. He had vested too much of himself in loving what was rightfully his. Bella's soft hands reached down and stroked his penis. Drops of pre-cum dripped down creating a natural lubricant for her hands to slide up and down his impressive length. She quickly fell into a comfortable rhythm and Seth was panting, gasping, and moaning for release. Unable to take anymore, he flipped her over onto her hands and knees and plunged into her passage. She shuddered as his cock grazed her walls and met him thrust for thrust, her body thirsted for his and she felt as if she would die if he didn't give her more.

Seth was in a frenzy as he quickened his pace, pushing harder, faster; desperately pounding into his mate—coveting what was his and his alone. The sounds of their lovemaking echoed through the quiet forest as the couple neared their climax.

Seth's fingers moved to Bella's clitoris creating a new sensation and, in a matter of seconds, her walls clenched around his length, shattering into a mind blowing orgasm. And with one final thrust, Seth gave way to his inner wolf and exploded inside of his imprint, pulling her to his chest, and sinking his teeth into the fleshy part of her neck, just above her collarbone. Bella succumbed to the pain and pleasure and sunk into the man she now guessed was her mate, allowing him to care for her.

They sat naked in the forest, surrounded by nature, Seth whispering words of adoration to her. A while later, they dressed and he carried her back to the car, cradled in his arms, and checked into a hotel in Port Angeles.

Seth finally faced Bella. "I have to tell you something."

"You're my mate?" she queried.

"Yeah, I am. I imprinted on you the moment I met you."

"I guessed that, once I felt the electricity coursing through my body whenever we touched."

"You have a choice, Bella. You have a choice as to whether you'll accept me as your mate or not. The imprint allows you to have that choice. I can be whatever you want me to be: a brother, a friend, a lover, a husband, whatever you want..whomever you want...I'll be him."

Bella thought that he was out of his mind if he thought she'd want him as a brother or a friend after the mind blowing sex that the two of them just had. She would take lover and, eventually, husband. Then, she thought about something that Alice had mentioned and decided to ask him a question.

"My answer hinges on your answer to this question. What kind of a vehicle do you drive at home?"

"Huh?" he responded completely perplexed. She was definitely quirky.

"Just answer it. It's important."

"A Nissan Pathfinder."

"Good answer. I accept you as my mate. I want you in my life, Seth, as more than just a brother or a friend."

"Oh, good, because I already marked you and you really didn't have much of a choice. I thought I'd offer you the choice anyway. I wasn't sure what I was going to do had you rejected me."

Bella started giggling and so did Seth. He explained to her how he lost complete control of himself once she had accepted his wolf. It was amazing how he didn't have to explain the two sides to his personality like the others had to explain to their imprints initially.

"You know, Jasper and Peter have two sides to their personalities as well. They have their normal, usual happy selves and they have their protective vampire sides that come out when their loved ones are in danger. Part of the problem with the Cullens is that they deny their vampire sides because they are ashamed of it. Why would anyone in their right mind deny a part of themselves that's intrinsically a part of them? They didn't ask to be vampires, just like you didn't ask to be a wolf. It's not a bad thing, it's who you are. You're a wolf and a human and unless you accept both sides of yourself, you'll always be missing a part of yourself."

"Wow, you hit the nail on the head with that statement, Bella. So, when can I meet your family? Or, is it too soon to meet them?"

"Do you really want to meet them?"

"Of course I do. I want to know everything about you and they're an important part of your life," Seth told her.

"I thought vampires were your sworn enemy?"

"Bad vampires, Bella, and your family seem like pretty decent folks to me."

"They are. Thank you, Seth." She leaned into kiss him on the lips.

"Tell me, Bella. Why did you want to know what kind of car I drove?"

"I've been in a couple of bad relationships and both guys drove Volvos."

"Gee, Bella, I'd never drive such a prissy, uptight car. What do you drive?"

"Um..." Bella was uncomfortable with that question. The vehicle that Jasper had purchased for her was a major source of contention. She loved driving it, but at the same time, she felt guilty for owning it. Hell, she felt guilty for owning her booper that Peter had purchased for her. "I own two."

"Two?"

"Yeah, one for the summer and the other is for everyday use."

"Alright, what's your summer vehicle?"

"A Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet."

Seth's eyes brightened. "That's like my dream car."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You can drive it anytime." And he planned on driving it for sure.

"What's your second vehicle?"

"Oh, you mean my booper?"

"Yes."

"It's a Range Rover."

"You own a Range Rover for a booper?"

"I know, they're pretty pretentious cars, aren't they? I would have been happy with a Ford Focus, but Jasper and Peter insisted. They couldn't agree on the type of vehicle that I should drive so they each bought me one. Both vehicles are specially fitted with bullet proof glass."

"They must be pretty loaded."

"Yeah, Alice can see the future and Peter just knows stuff so between the two of them, their investments have paid off. They help with my investments as well."

"Do you think they'd help me with mine? I still have student loans to pay off and my 401K seems like it keeps sinking."

"Oh, definitely. Besides, I'm sure they already know about you. I have a feeling that you're the reason why I was sent back to La Push all of a sudden."

"Interesting thought," he whispered. Then, unable to take the lack of contact anymore, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. And they made love for the rest of the evening until sleep finally claimed them.

**Do you understand now that Peter and crew only want the best for Bella? And were you able to understand how they were truly like family? Do you like how Bella asked Seth to show her his wolf? And do you like how Seth totally let his wolf side takeover and marked his imprint? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. I promise to respond with a reply. XOXO mama4dukes**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for your fabulous reviews and for your patience. I was unable to write both due to being busy and because I had to work through some mental blocks concerning my writing. Without further ado, I present to you chapter 4 of Fate's Hand At Play.**

**This story is AU/OOC**

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Mature readers 18+ only.**

The next day, Seth and Bella returned to La Push to Sue and Charlie's house. They were hoping for a peaceful morning, but it wasn't to be. As soon as they walked into the house, they were met by the entire pack plus the tribal elders. Charlie wasn't anywhere to be seen. Seth knew that this meant that this was an official meeting.

"I see that Isabella has accepted the imprint," Old Quil commented.

"It's Bella and yes, she has," Seth replied.

"My apologies, Bella."

The new couple sat down with trepidation. Seth suspected what was coming next.

"Well, now that you are an imprinted couple, I must inform you that the time has come for you both to move back to La Push."

"Pardon me?" Bella asked. "Are you saying that you want me to drop everything and come back here just because I'm imprinted to Seth?"

"Yes, well, it is pack law. And you have now committed yourself to Seth, hence you are a member of the pack. A wolf must remain in La Push."

"Pack law, but not tribal law, right?" Bella wanted clarification.

"Yes."

"So, it's off the record, officially."

"Yes, but a wolf and his imprint is obligated to adhere to traditions."

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that. There is no way in hell that I'm abandoning my life in New York City to live here. If Seth wants to live here, he can. It's a free country."

"Don't worry, Bella. I have no intention of living here," Seth assured.

"Seth, that is enough. You've spent too much time away from the reservation. It's not good for the pack. Now that you're imprinted to Bella, we expect more bl...lee...cold ones to come into the area," Old Quil said.

"Just where in the hell did you come up with that nonsense?" an outraged Seth asked.

"She does cavort with them."

"They're her family."

"Her family is here now."

"Bullshit, you can't expect her to accept everyone as family after just a week here. She hardly knows Charlie and he was a shitty father to her." He looked at his sister who looked as if she were about to say something. "Don't fucking start Leah. Your relationship with Charlie is entirely different from Bella's." Seth turned to Old Quil again. "The pack isn't Bella's family. They're friends, but not family."

"How is she supposed to form a familial bond with them if she's living on the other side of the country?"

"I'm sure she'll be back to visit with me, but only if she wants to."

"Seth, this will be noted as insubordination on your part if you do not live in La Push as pack law mandates."

Seth had just about had enough. He was sick and tired of the elder bullshit. "Jake, what's your opinion?"

"My opinion remains the same as always, the elders have nothing to do with the pack. As alpha, I make the rules for the pack." He looked at Old Quil. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to force Seth and Bella to move back here. They've worked hard for their careers and they should be able to maintain them in whatever location they choose. My one rule is that if they were to have any children, they are to be raised with a healthy understanding of Quileute traditions and the legends passed down just like they were with our generation."

"Your refusal to become involved is causing a divided pack!" Old Quil spat.

"How the heck can you call the pack divided?" Bella asked. "I've only been here for a few days and I've never observed a group that's closer than the people in this room with me. Although Seth lives on the East Coast, he's still very connected to them. I think that if he's forced to remain here, he'll end up resenting the fact that he is a wolf."

"Yeah, what she said," Seth agreed. "Well, I think we're done here. Bella, pack your bags."

"You're leaving?" Sue asked.

"Um, just the house not the area. We decided to stay in a hotel in Port Angeles."

"Why? You still have a couple of more days left."

"May I interject here," Paul said politely. "I think it's best they stay in a hotel as well."

"But..."

"Sue, they're newly imprinted. They'll need their privacy."

"Ah, I see. Yes, yes, it's better if you go to a hotel."

"Wait a minute! You're just going to let them go!" Leah protested. "We haven't spent time with them."

"Leah, do you remember what it was like when we first imprinted?" Jake asked.

Her eyes bulged wide and her mouth formed into an 'O' shape. "Um, it's just...I see...uh...it's just hard for me to see my little brother that way." She paused for a second. "But, I get it...I really do."

"We're not done here!" Old Quil interjected.

"Old man, how many times do I have to tell you not to go ordering my pack around?" Jake fixed Old Quil with a glare. "If we force Seth to stay here, it'll be far worse for the pack. We'll have an extremely unhappy wolf and imprint and that will be a major source of pack instability. Now, I don't want to hear another word from you about forcing Seth and Bella to stay!"

Seth and Bella quickly packed their bags and left the reservation while they still had a chance. They promised to return around dinner time after they did a bit of sightseeing and unwound at their hotel.

**XOXO**

The newly imprinted couple spent the day walking around Port Angeles and getting to know each other. Around two pm, they received messages from both the tribal clinic and Forks Hospital asking if they could come in and assist, but they chose to ignore the calls—opting, instead, to spend some time together. By the time they returned to Sue's house for dinner, the entire pack was gathered together again. Everyone was taking painstaking measures to get to know Bella without hurling insults at her vampire family.

Billy Black asked if she'd contact Jasper and Peter because he wanted to rework a treaty with them. She was unable to get in touch with Jasper, but Peter came on the phone and spoke to Billy. He informed him that he, Charlotte, Jasper, and Alice wouldn't dream of residing in Forks because they didn't want to be responsible for the phasing of young wolves. They asked, instead, to be allowed to pass through Forks or stay for short periods of time in case the tribe ever needed their assistance with rogue vampires. Charlotte also offered to come and assist with any medical issues that the wolves may come across. Billy informed them that they had Bella and Seth to deal with that—to which Charlotte replied, _"Sir, I'm talking about for the rest of eternity in case there are future generations of wolves. Bella and Seth are mortal. They will die eventually." _ Touched by their consideration, Billy agreed, thanked them for their kindness, and told them that he would work on a new treaty.

Leah did her best to get to know Bella. She was still very uncomfortable with the fact that Bella was in touch with vampires, but she got to know Bella for Seth's, Charlie's, and Jake's sake. Like it or not, Bella was a part of her family and she knew her brother well enough to know that he had no qualms about cutting ties with her for the sake of his imprint. Seth had always been a rogue wolf and always lived by his own creed rather than allowing the pack to control him. She had to hand it to her kid brother, he did accomplish a heck of a lot in his life through his own efforts.

She found that she actually liked Bella. She didn't throw the vampires in Leah's face and she was very interesting to talk to. She was independent, like Leah, and she didn't allow anyone to walk over her. Jake certainly liked her. He and Bella had quickly rebuilt their friendship and were back to being chummy again. This pleased Leah immensely because she knew that Jacob regretted losing Bella's friendship more than anything.

Charlie and Sue were ecstatic about Seth and Bella's imprinting. They were already looking forward to having grandkids because this grandchild would carry both of their genes. They planned on spoiling them rotten. Seth and Bella informed them that they'd have to wait many years for grandchildren because the idea of children nauseated them both at this point.

The following days passed much in the same way and the time soon came for the new couple to return to the East Coast. They said goodbye to their family and the pack with a promise to return next year. They spent an evening at a hotel in Seattle together then got on separate flights to Boston and New York City amid a cacophony of tears and a promise to see each other soon.

**XOXO **

_**Two weeks later...**_

Seth was waiting for Bella over in baggage claim at Logan Airport. He hadn't seen her for two whole weeks and his wolf was chomping at the bit. The pain of the pull was outrageous and he knew that one of them would have to relocate soon. Although they were only a four hour drive away or a forty-five minute plane ride, it was still too far from each other.

He caught sight of his imprint coming out of the arrival's door. He gave her a hug and a tender kiss upon seeing her. She was pulling a small suitcase behind her. Seth took it from her and put his other arm around her to keep her close to him.

"Are you hungry, Bella?"

"Famished. I came straight from my shift. I changed into my street clothes at the hospital and hopped a cab to the airport."

"Well, come on. I'm taking you out for some clam chowder and lobster."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in a booth at Legal Seafoods, enjoying some wine while they waited for their food to be prepared.

How was your work week?" Bella asked.

"I delivered two babies, I diagnosed at least ten ear infections, and pertussis is going around. I also had twelve physicals exams and I had one guy ask me to prescribe Viagra for him after which he suffered a heart attack right in front of me. Needless to say, I didn't give him the prescription for Viagra."

"Ah, the life of a primary care physician. I saw two suspect cases of pertussis in the emergency department too."

"I'm not surprised, the CDC just sent a notice around that they've seen an upswing in cases of pertussis throughout the east coast. What else did you see?"

"Three gunshot wounds, one knife wound, one suicide attempt, several heart attacks, a few broken limbs, a few car accident victims, oh...and a fight broke out between two rival gang members in the middle of the emergency department."

"Are you serious? Were you treating one of the patients?"

"Yeah, my patient was the one that ripped the IV out of his arm and went crashing into the other room."

"Great, Bella, that story makes me feel all sorts of wonderful inside. Are you sure that you don't want to switch to a private practice or at least an urgent care clinic somewhere?"

"Nope, I like the adrenalin rush."

"Fabulous," Seth replied sarcastically. He didn't like the idea of his imprint being in any sort of danger.

After dinner, Seth took Bella back to his one bedroom apartment in Quincy, Massachusetts. Bella liked how cozy it was. Truth be told, she thought it was the perfect size for a bachelor. It was small, felt like home to her and it was comfortable.

They didn't really get to tour the area much because they spent the entire weekend making love. And by the time Bella boarded the plane heading home, she already missed him.

**XOXO**

_**A month later...**_

Bella was pacing in her penthouse. Seth was due to arrive for his very first visit to see her and she was nervous as all hell. She had cleaned her penthouse from top to bottom, aired the place out so as not to offend his sense of smell in case there were lingering vampire or ex-boyfriend scents, and even bought a new mattress because she didn't want to have sex with Seth on the same mattress that she had sex with her control freak ex, Quentin. Her cell phone buzzed suddenly jolting her out of her thoughts.

"What is it, Jasper?" she answered.

"_Stop your fucking pacing! You're driving Alice insane."_

"Well, tell her to stop watching me pace, then."

"_Now, you know her gift doesn't work that way, darlin'. You just pop into her visions albeit you do it_ _less now that you're with your wolfie doctor."_

"Tell her that I'm fine, I'm just nervous because this is the first time I'm seeing him since I saw him a month ago in Boston."

"_I did, but Alice gets nervous when you get nervous."_

"Maybe you should have sex with her to calm her down."

"_Are you insane? I'm in the middle of reading a good book on the Battle of Waterloo. I can't be having sex with her at a time like this."_

"Well, tell her that I told her to go shopping or, better yet, tell her to get off using her Rabbit."

"_Did you hear that Alice?" _ Bella heard Jasper yelling. He came back on the line. _"She said to tell you that she's going shopping because there's a new store opening up on Rue Saint-Honore."_

"Whatever floats her boat."

"_Okay, she's gone. Now I can read in peace. Thanks, little one."_

"You're welcome. Glad that I could be of service, Monsieur Whitlock."

"_Yeah, Mercy Buckets to you too."_

They both chuckled as they ended their call.

Twenty minutes later, security buzzed her penthouse announcing Seth's arrival. He had driven into Manhattan, it was only four hours away, after all.

Bella took a deep breath and opened the door. He was a sight for sore eyes. The pain in her chest immediately disappeared as he pulled her into his arms.

"Welcome, Seth. This is home sweet home for me."

"Geez, Bella, this is...it's...I think this place should be featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or at least MTV Cribs."

"Thank you. May I take you on a tour?"

"Sure."

Seth was blown away. Bella's penthouse took up the entire twentieth floor. It could easily fit five of the homes in La Push. There were three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms plus a huge master bedroom with a spa bathroom and a dressing room with a walk-in closet. There was an oversized chef's kitchen that looked like it came straight from one of those Food Network shows plus a separate dining room and a large reception area for entertaining guests. Off to the side of the kitchen there was a laundry room and a maid's room with a full bathroom. On top of that, there was a library and a fully stocked weight room and a family room.

"Ostentatious, isn't it?" Bella asked.

"Uh...just a bit, but I like it. Why did they buy you a place so big?"

"They're a bit over the top, but I think the main reason that they chose this place is because of the security."

"Well, that kind of makes me feel better too." It really did. The first thing that Seth noticed was how much more active and bustling New York City was compared to Boston. Plus after her tale of the rival gang members in her emergency department, he was convinced that Bella was a danger magnet.

"I missed you, Seth," Bella said.

"I missed you, too. I don't think that we're going to be able to keep up this long distance thing going for much longer. The pull is beginning to get unbearable."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm willing to relocate to Boston," she said.

"And I'm willing to relocate here. Why don't you show me around and we'll talk about it some more?"

"Now?"

"No, right now I need to give you a physical."

"A physical, Dr. Clearwater?"

"Yes, a full and complete physical. I have to make sure that you can survive this long weekend with me."

"Oh, then by all means, go right ahead, Doctor," she purred.

Seth picked her up and bolted up the stairs to the master bedroom. He unbuttoned her shirt slowly while staring into her eyes; her anticipation increasing with each released button. When her chest was fully exposed, she slipped out of her shirt and let it drop to the floor. He took in the sight of her standing in her bra and, with one hand, unhooked it and let it slide off of her shoulders.

"We'll start with a breast exam," he stated, using his most professional voice. His hands caressed her breasts, stroking her nipples, teasing them as the scent of her arousal permeated the air. Bella could feel herself becoming slick between her legs. His slow, deliberate motions were torture; she wanted—no needed to feel him inside of her. He lowered his mouth to her right breast, sucking in her pebbled nipple while rolling the other between his nimble fingers. Bella took the opportunity to unbutton her jeans.

"Impatient, aren't we, Bella?" Seth asked noticing that she had already slipped out of her jeans. His hand slid into her drenched panties and stroked her swollen mound. Her bundle of nerves instantly reacted to the touch of his fingers, causing her to release a desperate moan. Two long fingers probed her vagina and when he withdrew them, they were coated with her juices. He licked his fingers with his tongue then kissed her. "Taste yourself."

"Please, Seth. I need you."

"Patience, my patient. I'm not done yet." He picked her up, placed her gently on the middle of her bed and pulled her panties off. He spread her legs wide so that she was exposed. Her body flushed in embarrassment. She closed her legs and tried to shield her body with her arms.

"Don't you dare hide your body from me, my imprint," he growled. He parted her legs and held her arms up over her head and openly ogled her body. "Beautiful."

Seth dropped between her legs and started feasting on her, dragging his tongue from bottom to top, causing her to writhe in pleasure. He sucked on her clit and drew small circles on it. She was panting, moaning, her hands grasping at his hair. Every nerve ending was alive and she was shrieking, begging, pleading with him to allow her to have her release.

"Cum, Bella," he ordered and slipped his tongue inside of her pretty pussy. She shuddered and screamed out his name as she reached her peak. Her body came alive with pleasure as he took her soaring over the edge.

Seth quickly undid his pants and let his painfully hard cock spring free. He pushed into her passage while she was still in the throes of her orgasm. He could feel her walls still pulsating as he hit her core. He drove into her relentlessly, harder, faster, deeper. With each thrust he was taking ownership of her body, possessing her soul, claiming her as his.

Suddenly, he quickened his motions; his hips taking on a life of it's own; his thrusts becoming more powerful as he rocked into her body, grinding into her core. Bella's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she shrieked in ecstasy. He pounded into her unyieldingly. His hips bucking wildly as she thrashed beneath him in the throes of passion. He felt her shatter all over his cock for her second orgasm of the night as she dragged her nails down his back. And with one final thrust, Seth exploded inside of her and claimed her once again, marking her, showing her who she belonged to.

He collapsed on the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. Exhausted, the couple fell fast asleep, only to wake up and make soft, tender love to each other in the middle of the night.

**XOXO**

The next morning, Seth and Bella woke up with their stomach's growling. They had slept through dinner the previous night and they both had slept much better together than they had alone in the preceding weeks.

Feeling an urgent need to satiate the growing hunger in their stomachs, the couple quickly dressed and made their way to a coffee shop to have breakfast. When they arrived, the owner was just opening the doors.

"Bella, what are you doing here so early?" he asked, taken aback. "It's only a quarter to five."

"Good morning, Vinnie. We woke up a bit early. We just didn't realize how early."

"Well, come inside out of the cold and we'll try to set up quickly. Grab a couple of menus. You know where they are."

She grabbed a menu and handed it to Seth. Bella knew it by heart already.

"Do you come here often, Bells?"

"Almost every morning," she admitted. "It's a short walk from home and it's on the way to the subway. Plus the food is really tasty."

"Good, I'm starving so I'm going to order up. What do you recommend?"

"Everything. My favorite is Egg's Benedict."

They placed their orders. Vinnie's eyes bulged when Seth ordered Egg's Benedict, a fully loaded omelet, steak and eggs, and pancakes.

"What do you want, honey?" he asked Bella.

"Um, I'll just take an Egg's Benedict today. Get used to it, Vinnie, Seth's stomach is like the black hole."

"I guess so. I'll be right out with your order."

"Hey, don't we get any coffee?" Bella called out.

"Hold your damn horses, missy. We just opened up. If you're so damn desperate for coffee, make it yourself."

Seth's eyes bulged when his imprint actually stood up, went behind the counter, and started making coffee.

As the regulars walked into the coffee shop, he noticed that they all conversed freely, shouting to each other across the coffee shop and into the kitchen. It was kind of like how Charlie was at the diner in Forks.

A woman in her fifties walked inside and dropped a romance novel in front of Bella. "I'm done. It was okay. The steamy sex scene on page ninety-six was amazing though. Make sure you have your Rabbit out for that."

"Awesome, I'l pass it on to Maria when I'm done."

"Speak of the devil, there she is."

Maria was an eccentric sprightly, old lady who looked to be in her seventies. "You got my book?"

"Yep, hot oral sex on page forty-three," Bella told her as she fished a book out of her purse and handed it to the old woman.

Seth had his mouth gaping at the extremely open and seemingly pornographic conversation going on in front of him.

"Who's the stud?" Maria motioned her chin at Seth.

"Oh, this is my boyfriend, Seth."

"Did he rock your world last night?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Good, he's a keeper then. He's hot too. He reminds me of my fifth husband, Morty. God rest his soul."

"I'm sorry, when did he pass on?" Seth asked.

"Pass on? I left him. I'm working on number seven now."

"Ah, good luck with that."

"You know, you can always come to my place and play with me."

"I'll think about it," a bewildered Seth told her.

Bella just chuckled at the banter.

Seeing Bella in her home turf was amazing to Seth. He saw a new side to her personality. She wasn't as reserved and she was brash and a bit snarky, but she still held onto her innate politeness. He decided right then and there that he'd be the one to relocate. He wasn't tied to Boston yet and it was clear to him that his imprint loved living in New York City. He loved how her personality came alive here and there was no way in hell that he was going to let that go down the drain.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"I want to move here."

"Aren't you jumping the gun a bit?"

"Nope, my decision is made. I like it in New York. I don't really have any friends in Massachusetts and the town that I live in is as dull as all hell. This place, this place seems alive."

"Why don't we explore the city a bit first? You can tell me what you've decided later."

"Alright, but I doubt I'll change my mind. I just have this gut feeling, you know."

**Do you like how Jacob refused to allow the tribal council to tell Bella and Seth what to do? Did you like Dr. Dominant Clearwater? I bet you want a check-up from him, huh? What did you think of Bella's home away from home at the coffee shop and the horny old lady who propositioned Seth? Should Seth move to New York City? Let me know your thoughts and I'll get back to you. XOXO mama4dukes**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I'd like to apologize for the long delay between the last chapter and this one. My attention was absolutely required at home and I was unable to concentrate on writing at all. I'm still getting back into the groove of things so please don't expect weekly updates like before. God willing, I won't go for months without updating. I can guarantee that I will finish all of my stories and I have more to post as soon as they are completed. Going forward, I'll only post a maximum of two stories at once though. An important lesson I learned in my time off is that sometimes life brings in unexpected events which can only make us stronger. Thank you all for the encouraging messages, reviews, and especially for your patience. I truly appreciate each and every one of you. ****Without further ado, I present to you chapter 5 of Fate's Hand At Play.**

**If this story is ever removed, it can also be found on JBNP. I will be posting it on TWCS and Tricky Raven soon as well.**

**This story is AU/OOC**

**All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Mature readers 18+ only.**

By Tuesday morning, Seth was back in Massachusetts. He had made the decision to move to Manhattan after falling in love with the city while touring it with Bella. He loved the hustle and bustle and the unique mix of people crowding the city.

Seth never liked La Push. He always felt stifled there and his pack brothers, sister, and family made things worse for him. They were pushy, to say the least, and they could never understand why anyone would want to live anywhere else. His parents always felt that Seth needed to remain in La Push, it was actually Charlie that encouraged him to reach out for his dreams. He recalled his stepfather's words, _"Son, if you want to be a doctor then go for it. Don't let anyone—not your mother, your sister, the pack, or the tribal council hold you back. In the end, you'll be the one that has to live with regrets, not them. If you want to be a doctor then I'll make sure that it happens. Come hell or high water, you will become Dr. Clearwater."_

And Charlie was true to his word. He sold his house so that Seth could attend college and medical school. Sure, he still had to take out a student loan, but compared to some of his colleagues—it was minimal.

Seth thought about Bella. The entire time she was in college, she was running from a deranged vampire that was after her blood. She had to drop everything while still in high school and run just to keep everyone she loved safe. How she made it through high school, college, and medical school with that sort of stress looming over her shoulders, he had no idea. He could understand why she was an emergency room physician, after spending her time running and hiding, she probably felt comfortable with the adrenalin rush that was ever present in the emergency room.

It was the end of the day and Seth was searching through job listings in New York City. There were a few job listings for family practitioners, but most seemed to be in the inner city. The pay was significantly lower than what he was earning now. He didn't mind, of course, the wage was still above average and he wouldn't have rent to pay if he moved in with Bella. He wasn't sure if he wanted to work in the inner city at a public health clinic though.

He sighed and continued to peruse the listing when his cell phone buzzed.

"_Hi, Seth,"_ Bella's sweet voice came through.

"Hey, baby. I miss you. I was just looking through job listings."

"_Oh, good. That's exactly what I'm calling about. I have a lead for you."_

"You do?"

"_Yep, what are the chances of you calling in sick on Friday?"_

"I don't get sick, Bella. I'm a wolf."

"_Then don't you think it's about time you had a sick day?"_

"It depends, tell me about this job."

"_Do you remember how I did my internship at the hospital in Alaska?"_

"Yes."

"_Alright, one of the physicians there, Dr. Akna, apparently moved to Manhattan roughly a year ago and opened up his own private practice. It's taken off like a storm because he's one of the few private practices that also accepts the insurance provided by the Indian Health Services. He works in conjunction with the American Indian Community House and the Urban Indian Health Program which is overseen by Indian Health Services. Anyway, he's looking to hire another physician, but he'd prefer to hire one of Native American descent. When I mentioned that my boyfriend was a hundred percent pure Quileute plus a certified family practitioner, he practically started salivating at the mouth. He asked me to call you right away to see if you were available on Friday at ten am."_

Seth couldn't believe his luck. This might be the type of job he was looking for. He didn't want to work in a public health clinic, but this job was at a private practice that also accepted public health insurance. It was the best of both worlds.

"Can you write me a doctor's note for Friday?" he joked.

"_So, you'll be here?"_ Bella asked.

"I'll be there on Thursday night, baby. Be ready for me—naked."

"_I can't wait."_

"I'll drive down when I get off of work. Just make sure that you have one of those pastrami sandwiches ready to go for me. I'll be hungry when I get there."

"_I'll stop at Katz's on the way home from work. Oh my God! I get to see you in two more nights, I'm so excited."_

"You know, you're going to have to take care of me all weekend since I'm going to be sick." Seth thought about it. "Naked," he added.

"_I can do that for you, Dr. Clearwater."_

"I love you, Bella."

"_I love you, Seth. Damn it, I have to go. I'm being paged."_

"Alright, go and save a life. I can't wait to see you."

After more whispered 'I love you's' he ended the call then immediately started working on his resume.

**XOXO**

On Thursday just before noon, Seth started acting as if he were lethargic and had a pounding headache. He even coughed a couple of times just for show. One of the nurses put her hand on his forehead and informed the lead doctor that he had a raging fever. He was ordered to go home, take Friday off, and get some rest. Seth nearly bounced out of the office unable to believe his luck and congratulated himself on his stellar acting skills. He hopped into the Porsche he had borrowed from Bella and blazed straight to New York City, he made it in a timely manner because it wasn't rush hour yet. He parked the Porsche in the stall in the garage at Bella's apartment, used his key to drop his bag off at the penthouse, and took the subway to the hospital where Bella worked.

He walked inside of the emergency department and stood in line behind a man who looked like he was in distress. He was waiting for the person in front of him to finish with the receptionist. Suddenly, the man collapsed onto the hospital floor.

Seth flew into medical mode and dove onto the man and ripped his shirt open. Buttons went flying all over the hospital floor. After doing a quick check, he started administering CPR. "I need a gurney and a bag of TPA set up in surgery stat!" he yelled. A gurney was brought immediately and the man placed on it while Seth hopped on top and continued to administer CPR while the orderlies wheeled him into the busy, restricted area of the emergency department.

A stunned Bella handed her clipboard off to the intern upon seeing Seth on a gurney administering chest compressions.

"What happened?"

"This man was standing in line in front of me and suffered a stroke. I need a drip of TPA stat!" he ordered. "I asked for it to be ready immediately!"

"What the hell are you doing lolly gagging around, Beth, get the TPA now!" Bella commanded.

"Yes, Dr. Swan, we weren't sure who he was and..."

"Get the TPA now! No time for explanations."

While the nurse was setting up the drip, Bella had brought the defibrillator out. Seth hopped off of the gurney and as soon as he saw that Bella had the paddles ready, he released his hands from the patient's chest so Bella could shock him. He went back to administering CPR again when he saw that the monitors indicated a flat line still. When the defibrillator was ready again, Bella shocked the man. This time, there was a steady rhythm going on the monitor.

Seth inserted the now ready drip and Bella took over the patient's care from there. He stuck around near Bella, helping where he could until her shift was over. With his easy personality, he immediately won over the entire staff who, within minutes, were bringing him coffee and donuts in an effort to get to know the elusive Dr. Swan's new boyfriend.

As soon as they left the hospital, Bella wrapped her arms around Seth's neck and kissed him soundly on the lips.

"I missed you," she sighed. "What are you doing in town so early? I wasn't expecting you until ten or eleven at least."

"I got sent home sick," he pouted, then let out a fake cough.

"Well, thank God you did because that man who collapsed in front of you wouldn't be alive without your quick actions."

"I know, I'm glad I was there too." His stomach started growling. "I'm starving, let's get some dinner."

The couple went to Chinatown where Seth ate a mountain of food and, for the first time ever, Bella left without any leftovers. On the way back, Seth stopped at Astor Street Barber's to get a quick haircut so he could look presentable for tomorrow's job interview before finally going home. As soon as Bella stepped into the penthouse and stripped her clothes off, Seth knew that there was no way in hell that he was going to get any rest the entire long weekend.

On Friday, Bella surprised Seth by stating that she had worked a double shift on Wednesday so that she could spend the long weekend with him. She helped him steam his suit and iron his shirt for the interview and even dropped him off at the physician's office.

"I'll be sitting in the coffee shop across the street. Let me know how it goes," she told him before giving him a kiss for luck.

Seth strode into the office and handed his card to the receptionist. He was immediately shown into the doctor's office.

"Hello, Dr. Akna, I'm Seth Clearwater." He extended his hand to shake.

"You're rather warm. Are you feeling okay?"

"It's a genetic thing, my temperature has always run very high. My sister is the same way and so was my father before he passed away."

"Ah." Like many, Dr. Akna believed him right away and didn't question him at all. "So, tell me about yourself, Seth."

Seth started on his spiel about how it had always been his dream to be a physician. He added that his mother and sister were registered nurses in Forks and that the field of medicine ran strong in his family.

"I see on your resume that you chose to do your residency at a big city hospital rather than at a hospital that caters towards Native Americans. Why is that?"

"I spent my entire life growing up on a reservation, I thought it would be wise to broaden my horizons a bit."

"And it's a good thing that you did because you are exactly the candidate I'm looking for. I don't want someone that's closed minded. After reviewing your resume and speaking to you, I can tell that you are an open minded fellow who can handle the broad patient base that this practice caters to. We have everyone from high-income socialites to low-income patients on public assistance come to this practice. I need someone with an open mind to work with me. Now, Dr. Swan also tells me that you volunteer at the tribal clinic at your home reservation whenever you go home. Why is that?"

"They don't have a full-time physician on staff and the nurse practitioners tend to become overwhelmed. I think I owe it to my reservation to help when I am able."

"Well, that's all I need to hear. Welcome aboard, Dr. Clearwater. I suspect that you have to give adequate notice to your current practice. How does three weeks sound to you?"

"That sounds fabulous."

"Excellent, now let's discuss your salary. I'm prepared to offer you one hundred seventy-six thousand dollars per annum with bonuses, profit sharing, and three weeks paid vacation plus 401K, health insurance, and other benefits."

Seth gulped. He tried very hard not to let his jaw drop at the surprisingly high salary. He had to keep himself planted in the chair. It wouldn't do if he started hyperventilating in front of his new boss. Currently, he was pulling in roughly a hundred twenty thousand dollars per year. When he didn't answer right away, Dr. Akna stated, "Why don't we make it an even one hundred eighty thousand dollars per annum?"

_Did he just get a four thousand dollar raise simply by sitting there looking like an idiot? _"That would be satisfactory," Seth replied, trying not to croak out his response. He was in complete shock.

"Good, then I'll see you in three weeks. Do you have a place to reside or do you need help finding an apartment? I know that the American Indian Community House have some apartment listings posted."

"No, no, I'm fine. I'll be moving in with my...girl...fiancee," he abruptly switched from girlfriend to fiancee because it sounded better. He figured he was going to marry Bella anyway.

"Ah, so wedding bells are finally on the horizon for Dr. Swan. It's about time. She went through her entire residency without any sort of social life. She worked, worked, worked, and worked some more without ever requesting time off. I'd never met a more focused and dedicated physician in my life."

"She is one of a kind," Seth replied proudly.

They shook hands, once again, and Seth left the office and sprinted to the coffee shop as soon as he got outside.

"Bells! I got the job!"

"Oh, wonderful!" she cheered.

He excitedly told Bella about his salary. "That's about average for a family practitioner at a private practice in New York City, isn't it? The profit sharing is going to bump you up higher."

"Average? How much do you make?"

"I made three-hundred twenty-nine thousand last year when all was said and done."

"Bella, do you realize that once we get married, our combined income is going to be over half a million dollars per year?"

"Yes, I know. We're going to have to find some tax shelters otherwise we'll be paying Uncle Sam up the yazoo in taxes."

"So, you're going to marry me?"

"Huh?" Bella asked, completely thrown off kilter.

"Great, let's go and pick out an engagement ring. Come on, Bella."

"I...uh...yes! Yes! I will marry you!" she squealed.

"Oh, good, cause I already told Dr. Akna that you were my fiancee."

Bella started chuckling. "You know, you have a way with just assuming that I'll accept everything you decide."

"I like to take chances. Life is more exciting that way."

"It certainly is, Dr. Clearwater."

**Are you happy that Seth is moving to New York? Pretty impressive how he saved a life, don't you think? Do you think he'll fit in well with Dr. Akna? What did you think of the sly way he proposed to Bella? Let me know your thoughts and I'll get back to you. Thank you for reading and reviewing. XOXO mama4dukes**


	6. Chapter 6

**I must take this time to thank all of you for your patience as I manage my busy schedule and writer's block. You do have my word that I will never, ever abandon any of my stories. Without further ado, I present to you the final chapter of Fate's Hand At Play.**

**This story is AU/OOC.**

**All characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Mature readers 18+ only please.**

**Epilogue**

_**Five years later...**_

"Aaaggghhh!" Bella screamed in agony as another contraction hit her. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her husband's flesh.

"Ouch, Bella! That hurts! Your nails are like daggers!" He turned to Alice. "I thought you were going to take her for a manicure?"

"The appointment was scheduled for this afternoon, but this happened."

"Don't you have a gift that you can use?"

"Seth, even I couldn't predict when she was going into labor. I'm not perfect, you know."

"_I am! I told her not to make the appointment for today, but you know Alice—stubborn as an ox. She insisted,"_ Peter's voice was heard from downstairs.

"Are you sure that I'm only at four centimeters, Seth? I don't think I'm supposed to be in this much pain."

"Yeah, I am sure. I just checked a minute ago and you're not in any more pain than other mothers."

"I hate you!"

"No, you don't. You love me. You just hate the pain of labor."

"I wouldn't be in this situation if you didn't put the baby in there!"

"You enjoyed it when I put it there." He smirked at his wife only to be smacked on the back of his head by his mother, Charlotte, and Alice.

"I did not raise you to be insensitive, young man!" Sue chastised.

"Bella, you really need to get up and walk around," Charlotte urged. "It'll speed up the contractions."

"She's right, dear," Sue agreed as she wiped the sweat off of Bella's face with a washcloth. "Let's get you out of bed and walking around."

When Seth took in the sight of his family in front of him, he couldn't help but smile. After, that fateful night in the forest of La Push, he and Bella had been inseparable. Six months later, the pair had gotten married in a lavish wedding ceremony in Forks. The elders wanted him them to get married in La Push, but it was an impossibility since two of the bridesmaids and two of the groomsmen were vampires. When they tried to force them to do their bidding, Bella told them in no uncertain terms how she felt with her buddy Jacob backing her up. Jacob was Seth's best man while Alice was Bella's matron of honor. Leah was a bridesmaid too.

When they found out they were expecting a baby last year, Seth and Bella invested in a luxury estate in a secluded part of Huntington, New York on Long Island Sound. They didn't want to move too far from New York City. They retained their penthouse there for occasional use. Their new estate was private, secure, sat on five acres, and featured an expansive backyard where Seth could phase if necessary. Seth also opened up his own private practice close to the house. Business was booming because his patients liked the fact that he provided everything from prenatal care to geriatric care and everything in between.

The happy couple decided on a home birth since they were both board certified physicians and their friends, Charlotte and Alice were also physicians. Sue and Charlie had flown in two days ago excited about the prospect of a new baby. Sue, a labor and delivery nurse at Fork's General, had also come prepared to assist.

Currently, Charlie was downstairs anxiously awaiting the birth of his first grandchild along with Peter and Jasper. Seth could hear all three of them watching the game and pacing intermittently whenever Bella screamed.

After walking down the hallway for a few minutes, Bella was back in bed. As soon as she got in she felt warm liquid oozing down her thigh. "I think my water broke," she informed him.

"Alright, let's check," Seth said. "Yep, you're right. Only two centimeters to go honey."

"What?" Bella cried.

"Shh...you're almost there, Bella. You're doing so well." Alice cradled Bella in her arms while Charlotte made sure that everything was prepared. She and Alice had outfitted the room with every piece of equipment that would be in a hospital delivery room. Seth had told them that it wouldn't be necessary, but they called it a sound investment for peace of mind.

His mother was gently rubbing Bella's back. "Almost there, sweetheart. It won't be long."

"Why does this have to be so painful?" Bella wailed.

"Because men can't handle pain. Look at how Seth started whining over a little scratch," Sue told her.

"Mom, shouldn't you be on my side? I am your son, after all."

"Your wife is giving birth to my grandbaby! No one is more important than she is."

"Until the baby is born," Seth replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hush." Sue let out a little chuckle.

Ten minutes later, Bella was finally pushing with everyone counting.

"Seth, it'll be easier if she gets into a squatting position," his mother urged after a half an hour of fruitless pushing. "Trust me, I know. I've been doing L and D for a lot longer than you have, young man."

"I think we should listen to her," Bella opined. "It does state in medical journals that squatting is the most natural position to birth babies in."

"Alright, let's get you into position, then. Mom, you take her left side and Alice, you take her right. Charlotte, you're with me."

They quickly got Bella into a squatting position, "Here comes the next contraction, push Bella, bear down."

Bella pushed as hard as she could with everyone encouraging her.

Ten minutes later, little Peter Charles Clearwater came screaming into the world. Seth took the baby and let Charlotte take over. Five minutes following his birth, little Jasper Harris Clearwater came kicking into the world.

Alice took the baby while Charlotte finished up.

"Oh, they're absolutely adorable!" Sue gushed from Bella's side. She was sure that there were no babies more adorable than her two grandsons. Jake and Leah's kids didn't hold a candle to these two peanuts. Seth and Alice placed a baby in each of Bella's arms.

"Hi, little guys," she cooed to them.

"I never thought the day would come when vampires would help deliver my grandsons. Oh, thank you, Charlotte, Alice." Sue hugged them both and gave each of them kisses on the cheek.

There was a knock on the door. Alice opened it up to find Charlie, Peter, and Jasper standing there with anxious expressions on their faces.

"Well?" all three of them demanded.

"Two healthy boys. Peter Charles Clearwater and Jasper Harris Clearwater," Seth announced. "Come on in and see the babies."

And as the babies were passed around from doting relative to doting relative, Seth and Bella watched contentedly, knowing that their kids would always be loved and cared for no matter what.

"I love you, Bella," Seth whispered in her ear.

"And I love you, Seth."

**XOXO**

_**Ten years later...**_

"Do we get to turn into wolves like Daddy, Uncle Peter?" Little Petey asked.

"Nope, when your mama was bitten by the bad vampire in Phoenix a tiny bit of his venom stayed in her system and she passed it onto the two of you so you're immune to vampires."

"How did you find this out?"

"Aunty Charlotte, Aunty Alice, your mama, and daddy took some of your blood and did some testing and research on it. And it's a good thing they did because I wouldn't be able to teach you everything that I know about cars if they hadn't done that."

"Why do you call Aunty Charlotte 'Sugar Tits?'" Little Jasper asked.

"Um..."

"Peter!"

"Yes, Char?"

"What in hell are you teaching our nephews? Bella and Seth go away for one weekend and you're already corrupting their minds. The next thing you know, they'll have their own subscriptions to 'Big and Bouncy!'"

"What's 'Big and Bouncy?'" Little Petey asked.

"It's...It's...um...Uncle Peter subscribes to a bouncy ball of the month club. They send him a new bouncy ball every month," Charlotte replied quickly realizing her mistake. "Now come to the table, it's time for lunch. Uncle Jasper will be here to take you to the movies soon."

"Where are my boys?" Jasper asked, walking into the house. They both tackled him with big hugs. "Are you ready to go and see that new Disney movie?"

"Do we get popcorn and M and M's?"

"Of course you do. I don't see your mama anywhere, do you?"

"Nope!" both boys declared.

A few hours later, they had returned home with Jasper having completely sugared the boys up. They were bouncing off the walls and as happy as can be. The living room was filled with all different types of bouncy balls. Alice had shown up with a trunk filled with them because she had seen Charlotte's 'Big and Bouncy' screw up which was really Bella's fault anyway because she's the one who paid for Peter's subscription. Bella was so kind that she paid for subscriptions to the magazine for every single wolf in the pack plus Old Quil and Billy Black. That gesture really endeared her to them.

"Who would have ever thought that we'd be raising Seth's and Bella's kids along with them," Alice mused to Jasper.

"Well, I figure we did a dang good job with Bella so we can't screw these two up at all," Jasper told his wife. "Besides, we got a head start with little Petey and Jasper. We got them when they were newborns, not when they were eighteen."

"True, I'm so happy that the four of us decided to save Bella all those years ago. Look at how much joy she's brought us," Charlotte said.

"Yeah," the rest of the vampires agreed as they listened to the peaceful sound of their little nephews' hearts beating.

**XOXO**

And so, Seth and Bella lived happily ever after, surrounded by their extended family. Charlie and Sue flew to New York every summer for extended visits after they retired. Neither of them were bothered by the four vampires who loved their two grandsons with everything they had in them. In fact, Charlie even took to fishing with Peter, Jasper, and Seth whenever he visited.

Seth hired Charlotte when he expanded his practice while Bella continued on as a physician in the emergency department, though she did switch to a hospital on Long Island.

Jasper eventually became a professor of Civil War History while Alice worked in fashion design in Manhattan. Peter was a self-professed stay-at-home uncle, he did all of the mom duties like picking up and dropping off the kids at school and taking them to all of their extra curricular activities. He also maintained everyone's vehicles and picked up all of the dry cleaning and groceries. The local mom's club loved him.

The rest of the pack continued living in La Push. Once a year, at Christmas time, Seth and Bella would fly down for a visit with the boys who loved the wolves as much as they did the vampires. Uncle Jacob was always impressed by how much Uncle Peter had taught the boys about cars. By the time they were ten years old, they were both changing the oil and doing simple brake jobs. The two boys also excelled in their school work. Uncle Jasper made sure that they went above and beyond expectations on their school work daily. Their teachers dreaded parent-teacher conferences because, not only would their over-achieving parents show up, but so would their doting uncles and aunts. Alice claimed that it kept all of the teachers on their toes. Bella was pretty sure that Jasper and his gift played a role in the fact that every single teacher seemed to make her sons their first priority.

Fate had played it's hand well when Seth Clearwater imprinted on Isabella Swan. Well, perhaps it wasn't all fate. Maybe the little pixie and an all knowing snarky vampire had a hand in ensuring that the happy couple and their future generations had a happy future, but that's what a good loving family is supposed to do. Isn't it?

**Thank you so much for reading my foray into Seth. He was a challenge to write, but I enjoyed every second of it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the epilogue. XOXO mama4dukes**


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